Winning An Omega's Heart: Rizzoli Style
by LauRaww Brayshae
Summary: If Jane thought that becoming leader of the Rizzoli pack was strenuous enough, she's not going to appreciate her Ma reminding her that all wolves should try and find a mate. The Wolf AU that no-one asked for, but we all secretly wanted. Rizzles of course.
1. Chapter 1

**If Jane thought that becoming leader of the Rizzoli pack was strenuous enough, she's not going to appreciate her Ma reminding her that all wolves should try and find a mate. The Wolf AU that no-one asked for, but we all secretly wanted. Rizzles of course.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, but wouldn't it be cool if I did? Nah but seriously I'm just borrowing them for this little story. All mistakes are mine.**

* * *

Jane smiled as she lounged on the small hill that overlooked her pack's den. As the Alpha watched her family, she couldn't help the pride that bubbled up in her chest.

The Rizzoli clan had been through a lot as of late. Jane had only recently become the leader of the pack after earning the title by challenging and defeating her father. That alone was tough. But it had to be done.

Her father, Frank, was a poor excuse for a pack leader. He was lazy, dishonest and betrayed the trust of the pack. It was agreed that he had to go. The only problem was that no one was strong enough to challenge him.

It was only when Jane came of age that she stood up to her father. The fight itself took a toll on everyone, but especially on Jane.

Not only was she to fight her father, but it was most likely to be a fight to the death. She had no choice but to fight the wolf who had sired her and raised herself and her siblings. The wolf she would always love, regardless of what he did.

Jane shook her head. No, she couldn't think like that. He meant nothing to her now, and meant nothing to her family.

She remembered looking down at her father's beaten and bruised body, her own body barely being held up by shaky legs. Bringing her snout close to his ripped ear, she growled.

 _"Leave, and don't ever come back."_

She could still remember the hopeful and thankful look he had in his eyes as he dragged his body up and scurried away, never to return.

Jane sighed as she shook her head again. That ordeal had happened over eight months ago, and since then her pack had been moving from strength to strength.

She watched her two brothers play fight in the middle of the clearing that led to the dens. Her youngest brother by four years, Tommy, was trying to get out from under Frankie, the eldest of pair by two years, who currently had him pinned to the ground.

Frankie was truly Jane's brother, for if it weren't for the fierce loyalty and intelligence, then it was surely due to his black fur, which was only a few shade lighter than Jane's own jet black fur. The Beta had always admired his older sister and was happy and proud of her when she took her rightful place as leader a few months ago.

Tommy, while nowhere near as sharp as Frankie or Jane, more than made up for it with his own kind of intelligence. The brown furred Alpha was a fast learner when he put his mind to it, though that wasn't often. He was never the type of Alpha who could lead a pack, a fact he had resented in his younger years. But as he matured, he grew to accept that while he was not the destined leader of the pack, he was a valued member of the family and would always be as such.

Jane chuckled as she watched their mother intervene when the brothers started to get more violent with each other.

The Rizzoli matriarch was quite the presence. With fur a lighter shade than Tommy's, the Beta's nature was one of a caring and loving one, though that didn't mean she couldn't be overbearing. While Angela only had the best at heart for her pups, she managed to get on their nerves when it came to their personal lives. Especially during mating season.

Jane cringed as she imagined what new ways her mother had devised to finally find her only daughter a mate. Not just any mate, but one fit for a pack leader.

The Alpha lowered her head to try and make herself as small as possible, in hopes that her mother wouldn't see her.

Turning her head, she couldn't help but smile when she noticed the other members of her pack.

Many believed that only wolves of the same blood could form a pack, her father included. Those who allowed any random stranger into their pack was asking for an uprising and their leadership to be challenged. Only those who were to mate with a wolf within the pack were allowed to live near a pack. If not, it would be wise to hightail it out of the area.

But the Rizzoli's never believed this, and over time they had formed strong bonds with a number of outsiders, all of which had since become valued members of the pack.

The first to join the Rizzoli pack was an older wolf, Korsak, who had saved Jane's life when she was still young. She had been practising her hunting skills late one night and hadn't even realised that she was many miles away from her pack. Just as she turned to head in what she hoped was the right direction, she was ambushed and pinned down by the most terrifying beast she had ever seen.

 _He leered down at the smaller wolf as she tried to break free of his hold. Slowly, he leant down and breathed in her scent, before his muzzle peeled back to reveal chipped yellow fangs._

 _"Like lavender and fear."_

 _Jane couldn't help but gag when his putrid breath hit her nose. She cautiously turned her head and started up at her attacker, and felt her heart stop when she properly saw him._

 _She had heard legends of him, a monstrous wolf believed to be a werewolf due to his colossal size and thirst for blood, but had never really taken heed of the warnings. She had always assumed that he had been hunted and killed, what with his habit of going near the humans and killing any he can find. At least he looked like he had been hunted, what with the scars on his face and body, along with the patches of missing dark grey fur. He even had scars around the right side of his face that looked as though it had been burned with a torch. But his most chilling feature was perhaps his pale blue eyes that held no life in them. 'Dead' was the only way she could describe them._

 _She closed her eyes as she stopped struggling and accepted her fate. She could only hope that he would be merciful to the young Alpha._

 _Just as he opened his mouth to bite and snap her neck, he was suddenly ripped away from her by a flash of grey._

 _When Jane gained her bearing, she looked to see her saviour in the exact position she was in only seconds ago._

 _Without hesitation, Jane lunged at the beast, biting into his neck before he could claim another victim._

 _The beast let out a ferocious roar before it tried to throw Jane off its back. The distraction allowed the other wolf to scurry out from under the beast and sink its teeth into the beast. The two wolves continued to attack the beast until it fled, but not before it roared something or other about revenge._

 _As the two wolves caught their breath, Jane looked over at the other wolf who risked its life for her._

 _By his scent, he was an older Beta, but his skills suggested that he was more than capable against even the youngest and strongest of fighters, his expert skills making up for his lack of stamina. He had light grey fur, which looked almost white in the moonlight._

 _"Are you okay?"_

 _It took Jane a moment to reply. "Yeah, I'm good."_

 _"That's a relief," the older wolf sighed as he stretched. "Doubt I could of kept fighting for much longer, at least not at my age." He chuckled._

 _Jane couldn't help but chuckle as well. "No, I guess not."_

 _Both slowly turned towards the forest where the beast had made his escape._

 _"What was that?"_

 _"Hoyt," the grey wolf shuddered. "I can't believe that we came face to face with him and lived."_

 _"Neither can I," the Alpha admitted. "Not that I don't appreciate it, but why save me?" She couldn't help but wonder why the older wolf would risk his life for a stranger._

 _He sighed again, "No idea." Turning back to the young wolf he gave a small smile, "Regardless, you more than repaid the favour when you saved my life as well. The name's Korsak."_

 _"Jane."_

It happened years ago, but she still remembered it like it was yesterday. She couldn't help the slight shiver when she thought of Hoyt. She hadn't seen or heard of him since that day, which was a relief. She really didn't fancy listening to anymore lectures from her mother about wandering off, mainly due to being an adult now and so having the right to do whatever the she damn well liked. As long as it's not too dangerous, she didn't want to give her mother a heart attack.

Korsak had become an honorary member of the Rizzoli pack, despite Frank's disdain. Once Jane took over the pack, the Rizzoli clan welcomed a few more into the pack.

The next to join was a young Beta named Frost. The dark brown wolf was found by Jane only a week after she had become pack leader. He had just lost the hare he had been chasing when he'd had collapsed from exhaustion and starvation. Just as he felt the life drain away from him, Jane had spared him some of the hare she had recently caught. After eating enough to regain enough energy to stand, Jane led him through the forest to her pack so that he could rest.

Since then, he had become her second in command alongside Korsak. While the two Betas bickered a lot, they had over time develop a level of respect for one another and took their roles as Jane's second in commands very seriously.

Another outsider who was now part of the Rizzoli clan was a tan coloured wolf, Susie. She was bright, if not a bit eccentric. She had been wandering alone in the wilderness when Jane came across her. The second that Susie caught the Alpha's scent she had cowered, fearful that Jane would kill her for approaching her territory. To save herself from her impending doom, she had begun to beg for her life, claiming that she had just narrowly avoided death at the hands of her own pack.

She began to sprout out all kinds of reasons why she should be spared, until she noticed that the large Alpha had stopped approaching her and was studying her. The tan wolf had assumed that she had managed to convince the mighty Alpha that she was indeed worth saving.

Jane was just surprised that one wolf could speak continuously for a whole minute without pausing to breathe.

Only a week had pasted after Susie had joined the pack when a smaller wolf had been spotted lurking near the den.

Lydia was a pale blonde wolf who, as it turned out, was the very same wolf who Frank had been 'close with' in his last remaining days as pack leader. Not only that, but it was soon discovered that Tommy had also been 'close' to her. But the cherry on top?

She was pregnant.

Jane could handle Lydia's pup being her nephew or niece, but half sibling? Hell no.

Her instinct was to reject Lydia, let her deal with her own mistakes herself. But Lydia was adamant that the pup was Tommy's, and strangely enough so was Tommy himself.

Jane was convinced that the pale blonde Beta was lying, but even she couldn't help the small smile twitching on her lips when the pup was born and was confirmed to be Tommy's son. Tommy Junior was a delightful addition to the pack and was loved and adored by all the other wolves. Lydia was also a great addition to the pack, though Jane would probably never admit it. While the pale blonde Beta could be sweet, she could be, well, slow.

Jane chuckled as she watched Lydia give TJ quick bath with her tongue, much to his dismay. While Lydia could get on her nerves at time, even Jane would admit that the pale blonde Beta had a certain naive charm about her which was sort of endearing. At times.

Yes the nine of them made up a large pack, and while the many personalities could at times clash - though to be fair it was the Rizzoli's themselves who clashed and quarrelled the most - Jane wouldn't have it any other way. Even if she did at times get the occasional headache.

"Jane?"

Speaking of headaches.

"Jane there you are! I wanna have a quick word with you-"

"Save it Ma, I don't want to hear it."

"But Jane," the older Beta sighed, "you're the leader of the pack! You need to start-"

"-thinking about my future, I know Ma!"

"Then why won't you at least consider finding a mate? And don't you dare give me that 'my priory is the pack' mumbo jumbo."

Jane cringed, that excuse was beginning to wear thin.

Angela sat beside her daughter and nudged her side with her snout. "I ain't saying that you're gonna find a mate straight away, and I ain't saying that it's gonna be easy. But you have to put yourself out there and find someone. I've got too much love for just one grand-pup."

Jane couldn't help but smile at that. "Don't worry Ma, when the time is right, I will ensure that you will have all the grand-pups you desire."

"You better," the older Beta chuckled, "but that doesn't mean that I can't try and speed things along." With that she began to nudge Jane with her snout a little harder than before.

"Ow! Cut it out Ma! Fine, I'll go on the hunt for a mate now if you want!"

She hadn't meant it, but the look in her mother's eyes suggested that it didn't really matter.

Jane sighed as she rose from the ground. No nap for her today it seemed. She tried to ignore her sniggering brothers who had obviously overheard the whole 'hunt for a mate' conversation. She would normally go over there and teach them a lesson or two, but she really didn't want her mother to nag her about finding a mate and being nice to her brothers in the same day.

She stomped up to Frost and was slightly riled up to see an amused look on his face. Just as she opened her mouth for a rather rude remark, he cut her off with a chuckle.

"Don't worry, I'll hold the fort while you search for a mate." He said with a wink.

Jane huffed and gave a nod as she stalked into the woods to search for a mate.

* * *

It had been two and a half hours since Jane had left the pack to search for a mate and she had finally reached her limit. Why couldn't everyone just let her find a mate on her own? She didn't want to pressure anyone into being her mate simply because she was a pack leader. She could find that special someone on her own. All she needed was her charm, her wit and her intelligence. Also, being a dashing Alpha with raven fur was a great bonus.

The clearing she had just stumbled into made her mind grind to a halt, and all the thoughts in her head left her, as she couldn't help but admire the beauty around her.

The bright sun dazzled through the leaves of the tall trees, which gave the shaded clearing a calm and tranquil atmosphere. Crickets could be heard in the tall grass which had a variety of shades, from straw-like yellow to a rich green found only during spring. To the side was a stream which was home to all kinds of animals, like fish and birds. In the very centre of the clearing, patches of grass was missing, along with pathways in the grass which lead to the clearing, as though it had been walked on thousands of times.

While Jane was no expert, she was convinced that this would be the perfect spot for humans to camp.

Or to hunt.

Not wanting to stick around to see if her guess proved to be true, she crossed the steam and ran through the trees.

She only slowed when she heard a loud and sudden noise.

Lowering so her stomach touched the ground, she crept through the long grass to investigate the sound that had caught her off guard.

Through the grass she could see another clearing, although this one was much larger than the previous one she had come across. At a closer look there didn't seem to be anything of any interest, except a steep hill. While she wasn't much a climber, the raven-furred Alpha couldn't deny her interest was piqued when she heard the distinct sound of snarling and fighting.

She could just imagine what her Ma would say if she was here. She would give her a disapproving look and probably say something along the lines of _"curiosity killed the cat."_

Jane grinned.

 _'Then it's a good thing that I'm a wolf.'_

When she reached the top of the hill - despite how ridiculously steep it was - she had the most gorgeous view of the vast forest and the mountain landscapes in the distance. While she would never explore that far of the forest, she could still admire the sights.

A snarl brought her out of her thoughts and she looked down the other side of the hill to see what all the commotion was about.

Two wolves where circling one another, as if daring the other to attack first. They were very different in appearance with one of the pair having dark, well-groomed brown fur, despite being a wild animal. The other was scruffier in comparison, with matted light brown fur and a few scars on his body.

 _'Probably from previous fights.'_ Jane thought as she sniffed the air in their direction. She detected their scents straight away. Alphas.

They were probably fighting over some Beta to mate with, though she couldn't see anyone else around.

"You don't deserve her!"

 _'I was right. This should be good.'_

The scruff ball chuckled at the other wolf's outburst. "And what? You think you do? You're nothing more than a toff who can't win a fight."

 _'Wait,'_ Jane thought, sitting up, _'what kind of accent is that?'_

The 'toff' - which apparently was an insult as the well-groomed wolf looked slightly peeved by the remark - came to a halt and glared at the scruff ball, which put an end to the little sparing circle they had created.

"That's rich coming from a dingo! You're not even from around these parts!" The toff exclaimed with a smug look on his face.

Before the scruff ball could come back with another biting insult, a soft voice broke through the tense showdown.

"Actually, did you know that dingoes, which originate from Australia, are classified as a subspecies of the _Canis Lupus_ , otherwise known as the grey wolf. Also-"

"That's nice dear." The toff sighed with a roll of his eyes before focusing back on the scruff ball.

Jane turned to the owner of the soft voice, and felt her heart stop. Because right there before her, was none other than an angel. A wolf angel. If they exist. Except they must do because Jane decided that she was in the presence of one.

The honey blonde wolf angel sat primly just a few feet away from the sparing Alphas; a front row seat to the fight that determined who was to be her mate. Her soft fur was impeccable, and when she moved it flowed as though like water in a steam. One small sniff and Jane's nose was almost overcome with the honey blonde's scene. Though she had never smelt anything like that before in her life, she recognised the scent in an instant.

 _'She's an Omega.'_

It's true what they say, you never mistake the scent of an Omega, even if you have never met one.

Jane breathe in the dazzling Omega's scent again and couldn't help the dreamy, far off look on her face. _'Sweeter than honey. How didn't I notice her before?_ ' She sighed.

She was brought out of her daze when she saw that the honey blonde Omega had noticed Mr Toff's eye roll when he dismissed her little fun fact, and had let out a dejected sigh as she kept silent like he wanted her to.

Rage began to build within Jane as she turned back to the two Alphas. How dare he treat the beautiful Omega that way. How dare he treat anyone that way! Worst of all, Scruff Ball seemed to agree with him as he didn't bother standing up for the spectacular Omega. Rather, he looked at her apathetically, despite the fact that she was actually defending him and his dingo-ness, whatever that was.

Jane couldn't understand why they felt that it was so damn necessary to treat the lovely Omega like shit, and to her face, for no apparent reason. Yet despite this, it appeared that the two males were fighting over who got to be her mate. Disgusted didn't even begin to describe how Jane felt about this.

"Come on mate, she wants a rolling stone, a free spirit, a lone wolf if you will. See what I did there?" Scruff Ball asked with a shit-eating grin. Jane didn't like what he did there. Then again, she didn't like anything about Scruff Ball.

"Please," Mr Toff sighed, "what would she want from a dingo runt such as yourself? Besides, I heard that you were raised by humans. They probably got rid of you when they realised how pathetic you really are!" He sniggered.

"Oh!" The stunning Omega leant forward in an excited manner, "Is that where you get your accent from? Was one of the humans Australian?"

"Yes," Scruff Ball grumbled, "but that doesn't mean anything!" He turned to Mr Toff and growled before he began to stalk towards him, Mr Toff following suit.

"Garrett, Ian, come now, please don't fight. It's not necessary." The honey blonde Omega sighed as she approached the two Alphas, who didn't even bother to acknowledge her. "Garrett," she turned to Mr Toff, "I told you, I did love you once, but after you strayed and found another mate? You betrayed my trust, and I strongly doubt that you can earn it back again."

She turned to Scruff Ball, who had that shit-eating grin again, and sighed once again. "Ian, while it has been lovely being courted by you, I just feel that we are too different to really work. You are always away doing goodness knows what, and I need stability in my life. You understand, don't you?" She asked with a small, hesitant smile.

Mr Toff - or Garrett, apparently - smirked at the other Alpha's huff of annoyance. Scruff Ball, or rather Ian, glared at Garrett, "I don't know what you're smirking at, she doesn't want you." He growled.

Garrett sneered at the other Alpha. "So? She'll come to her senses soon enough when she realises what a useless runt you are."

Ian began to flare up. "She-"

"-who's she, the cat's mother?"

Jane hadn't really meant to get involved in their little spat, but the look of pure hopelessness on the elegant Omega's face spurred her into action.

Also, she always found it fairly satisfying when she caused heads to turn.

The two Alphas glared up at Jane, but her focus was on the enchanting Omega, who looked up at the Alpha on the hill with interest and a hint of awe in her eyes.

Happy that she now had everyone's attention, Jane began her graceful descent of the hill. All the while praying, if wolves even did pray, that she wouldn't stumble and look like a complete dipshit. It seemed to work, as she landed a few feet away from the three wolves and began to approach them like a badass.

'I've still got it' Jane thought with a smirk.

"Can we help you?" Garrett glanced over at Jane, not bothering to hide his disinterest.

"Oh no, don't mind me." Jane sighed nonchalantly, "I was just about to catch the prey I had been stalking for the past so many minutes, until the commotion over here scared it off." Okay, so it may had been a lie, but the other wolves didn't know that. "I decided to see what all the noise was about-"

"-and stick your snout into other's affairs it seems." Garrett sneered.

Ian began to snigger, until he stopped abruptly. When Garrett turn to him to see what was wrong, he saw that Ian was sniffing the air around the newcomer, before he began to cower slightly.

"Well," Jane began, "after seeing your little sparing match, I realised that this was just two whelps messing around. It was only when you opened your muzzles did I feel the need to intervene."

As she stalked forward, she noticed that the scruff ball Ian had started to back away from the raven Alpha, while Garrett seemed to be preparing himself for another fight. _'Or a real fight,'_ Jane decided, _'that little spat was a poor excuse for a fight.'_

"I just don't get why you felt the need to treat the lady here with such little respect-"

"-I did no such-"

"-and the lack of dignity she clearly deserves." Jane continued, as though Garrett had not even said a word.

Piqued by the newcomer's bluntness, Garrett raised himself and flared his teeth with a ferocious growl in an attempt to intimidate the female Alpha. Suffice to say, she was far from intimidated; mildly amused was more accurate.

Undeterred by Garrett's little growling fit, Jane stood paw to paw with the dark brown Alpha and smirked down at him.

"Are you sure you wanna fight me?" Jane growled down at him.

She saw a flash of fear in his eyes, but it fled just as quickly as it appeared and rage took its place.

"How dare you! Do you know who I am? I don't have the time to waste with a whelp like you. I-"

"Whelp? Really?" Jane rolled her eyes before adding, "Let's just keep this as short as we can. Apologise to the lady and get lost."

It was almost impossible to keep up the badass facade, what with the look of indignation on his face that made him look constipated.

Ian continued to cower, hoping to avoid the female Alpha's wrath. It had taken him seconds for her scent to dominate his nostrils, and he recognised the scent instantly. This Alpha was a pack leader, and though he wasn't sure which pack, he didn't want to stick around and find out. While he really did want to mate with the Omega, he didn't really fancy getting caught up in a fight. He was just hoping to scare off the Toff, not fight and risk getting hurt. He slowly crawled over to the Omega, in the hopes that the female Alpha wouldn't hurt him if he was in close proximity to the Omega.

The honey blonde Omega, on the other hand, was intrigued. This handsome Alpha had quite literally swooped in to rescue her from this unfortunate situation. The Alpha's charm was an added bonus, too.

Just as the two females shared a glance, Garrett decided that it was the perfect moment to lose his cool, much to the raven Alpha's annoyance.

Throwing himself towards the female Alpha, Garrett went for her throat. While she was caught off guard, Jane just managed to duck the raving wolf's attack and moved to put some distance between them.

Undeterred, Garrett threw himself again at Jane, though this time she was more than ready for him. As he pounced, Jane dodged his fangs and landed near his side, where she lunged towards him and sunk her teeth into his hind leg.

Garrett howled in pain and spun around towards Jane, only to turn back in the opposite direction when Jane's paw connected with his face. The raven Alpha didn't allow the other Alpha a moment to right himself and she lunged once again at him, causing him to yelp out in pain.

Knowing that he could not win the fight, Garrett began to back away from the female Alpha, and towards the audience of two who were close by. Jane stalked toward the wounded Alpha, her cold eyes hardening and muscles tensing with every step she took.

It was only when he stopped backing away did Jane pounce once more, but Garrett had rolled out of her way in the nick of time, and she found herself snout to snout with the breath-taking Omega. She didn't have time to register the look of terror on her beautiful face, as she caught a flash of movement in her peripheral vision. Lowering herself to the ground, she ducked under Garrett as he leapt at her, causing him to fly above her and land awkwardly on a fairly large rock.

Garrett whimpered pitifully as he watched Jane approach him; her hackles were raised and she bared her fangs as she growled viciously. Her eyes were black with fury, and in that moment, the young Alpha truly feared for his life.

Once the raven Alpha reached him, she lowered her head until her glare was level with his eyes. "I suggest you run home, right now." When the male Alpha made no attempt to move, Jane released a ferocious roar, terrifying those who heard it to the bone.

Jane watched as Garrett scampered away, with Ian following closely behind him. She had complete forgotten about the other Alpha, what with his avoidance of her and her rage. She had to admit that it was smart of him to stay away from her, as there was no doubt that he would have suffered a similar fate to Garrett.

Jane snapped out of her musings when she suddenly remember about the fourth participant of the whole ordeal. The Omega.

Languidly, the Alpha turned her head towards the Omega and found her sitting a few feet away. It seemed as though she was trying to make herself look as small as possible, and when the two made eye contact, the Omega was quick to advert her eyes and lower them away from the Alpha.

Jane looked on in concern, and began to calmly approach the honey blonde Omega. She scrunched her brow in confusion when she noticed that the other wolf cowered with every step she took. The closer she came to the Omega, the more she shook in fear.

Once Jane reached the honey blonde wolf, she stood over the crouching body and leant down to sniff her. The Alpha's confusion rose however, when she noticed that the Omega had flattened herself to the ground. But what the Omega did next floored Jane.

The Omega slowly moved her head towards the Alpha's front paws, and cautiously sniffed them. Then, she gently licked the top of the paw closest to her before she lowered her head again.

Jane sighed sadly as she recognised the meaning of the gesture and the reason why the Omega bared her neck in submission to the Alpha.

 _'She's scared of me.'_ Jane thought despondently.

The Alpha leant down towards the Omega, hesitating when she noticed the other wolf flinch, and softly nuzzled the Omega's ears with her snout.

Jane chuckled when she heard the other wolf giggle at her touch, and she just couldn't stop herself from gently licking the honey blonde wolf's ears. It was only when she began to nibble on them did the Omega pull away and look up at her. Her bright hazel eyes were beautiful to say the least.

When the raven Alpha finally gathered her wits and snapped out of her daze, she smiled down at the other wolf. "You must forgive me, but I didn't quite catch your name." Even Jane had to congratulate herself on how smooth she was being. _'Nothing beats the Rizzoli charm.'_ Jane chuckled to herself.

The honey blonde Omega gazed up at Jane, before she bashfully lowered her eyes and licked her lips. "M-Maura." She swallowed before continuing, "I am from the Isles pack." She whispered timidly, as though she was afraid of Jane's reaction to this new piece of information.

Jane recognised the name, well sort of. She knew that they were high on the food chain, and had connections with many packs. The most well-known pack they knew was probably the Doyle pack. Led by Patrick 'Paddy' Doyle, they were currently involved in territorial disputes with other packs, and they were all out for blood. The trick to surviving was to stay far away from them at all costs, which Jane was all too happy to do. To associate herself with the Omega - who was rumoured to have been sired by Paddy Doyle himself and given to the Isles to raise - was just asking for complications and dangers to rise in the future.

Normally, the raven Alpha would walk away, and not bother sticking around where trouble would surely follow. But for reasons she could not fathom, she couldn't walk away from the beautiful Omega, who was currently looking at the ground in an attempt to not make eye contact with the Alpha.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you Maura from the Isles pack, I'm Jane, leader of the Rizzoli pack." This only caused Maura to shake more in fright, which only caused Jane's confusion to grow.

The Alpha sat down in front of the Omega, and watched her flinch once again as she asked, "Why are you afraid of me?"

"I-I don't w-want you to h-hurt me." Maura replied honestly.

The tremor in her voice broke Jane's heart.

"Why would I want to hurt you?" Jane asked curiously.

This caused the honey blonde Omega to look up at the Jane with a mix of confusion, trepidation and undeniable fear in her eyes.

"I-you, are you not going to, well, you know," she stopped abruptly and tried to swallow the lump in her throat. "The o-other Alphas were fighting to decide who would m-mate with me, and as you s-scared them away, that, in a way, makes you-"

"-the winner?" Jane finished. The small nod from Maura confirmed her suspicions. Maura was petrified of her, hell, she couldn't even speak without stammering. Jane assumed that Maura was trying to prepare herself for the moment that Jane would pounce on her, mount her and claim her as her own. She even had her neck on show, as though inviting the Alpha to mark and claim it.

Jane didn't doubt that Maura had many good reasons to be afraid. She was faced with a large Alpha who had more than proved her worth in a fight, and who had went from calm to enraged in a matter of seconds. Add to that the fact that being an Omega, it was expected that she would have all manner of wolves throw themselves at her, and only the strongest wolf would beat the rest. Maura probably expected the wolf to claim her to have been some monster of a wolf who would have only seen her as a fuck toy and a pup dispenser. Jane growled under her breath at the thought.

Unfortunately, this caused Maura to cower more and a small whimper escaped her as she tried to make herself as small as possible in front of the Alpha.

"Well," Jane began, "I think that, as your champion, I should have the honour of escorting you home. If that's alright with you, that is." She quickly added.

Maura looked at Jane warily, as though waiting for Jane to suddenly snap and show her true colours, before slowly standing up in front of the Alpha.

"I don't exactly have a home."

Jane was surprised at this, and it must have shown as the other wolf was quick to explain why she didn't have a home. "My parents were rarely at our den whilst I was growing up, and they didn't try to stop me when I left the pack because the loneliness became too much and I-" Maura stopped when she choked on a small sob at the back of her throat.

"Hey now," Jane whispered softly, "I promise I won't hurt you. You have my word as a gentleman." The Alpha bowed flamboyantly before the Omega, causing the other wolf to giggle.

Instead of rising to her feet, Jane moved to lay down on the floor and smiled up at Maura, causing Maura to smile back.

Jane couldn't help but admire her beauty. From her gorgeous smile to how the setting sun seemed to make her honey blonde fur to glow angelically. She couldn't describe how she felt for the Omega, but 'awestruck' was a start.

She decided then and there that she wanted to see that smile every single day for the rest of her life. Being the reason for that smile would be an added bonus, obviously.

In hindsight, what she did next wasn't very tactful, but she had been known to blurt out things at the most unfortunate of times. Besides, Maura's beauty was quite distracting.

"Stay with me." Jane blurted before she could stop herself.

That was a mistake. Instantly, Maura's smile fell and the look of anxiety and fear rose on her face once more.

 _'Nice work moron! Quit floundering and fix it!'_ Screeched the voice of Angela in Jane's head. Jeez, even in her own head, she couldn't escape her Ma's wrath. Rising to her feet, Jane tried to fix the situation.

"I-I don't mean as in 'now you're mine' no, not at all. I mean that, well, it ain't right that I leave you out here in the wilderness, 'cause, you know you don't have anywhere else to go. Or at least that's what you said." Jane said hurriedly, desperately trying to explain what she meant. Heaving a loud sigh, she tried again. "Look, my pack has this crazy habit of letting all kinds of wolves from all walks of life in. Hell, there's more 'outsiders' in our pack than Rizzoli's really." Jane chuckled to herself.

"I wouldn't want to intrude." Maura said quietly, almost to herself.

"Nah, not at all. It would be an honour to have you in our company." Jane smiled, "so, what do ya say?"

Maura lifted her eyes and couldn't help the small chuckle when she saw Jane's big brown eyes staring imploringly back at her.

"Very well, I accept."

Her chuckle turned into a full-blown laugh when a massive smile took over Jane's face.

* * *

Jane smiled as she lounged on the small hill that overlooked her pack's den. As the Alpha watched her family, she couldn't help the pride that bubbled up in her chest.

Not a lot had changed over the past month, but the biggest change was definitely Maura's induction into the Rizzoli clan. From the moment they met her, everyone adored Maura and welcomed her with open arms and loving hearts.

They all accepted her, quirks and all. Maura had never felt so loved in all her life.

The first few days had been awkward, especially when Angela very loudly reminded Jane of the reason why she went into the wilderness in the first place. The whole 'Janie-finally-found-a-mate' extravaganza was fairly amusing, until Jane noticed that Maura had started shaking again, still anxious about the idea of being forcibly mated.

Jane had offered Maura her den for her to sleep in, which she reluctantly accepted on the condition that Jane also slept in the den and not outside in the cold. Jane agreed, but wanted a quick word with her Ma on 'correct etiquette around guests', or something to that effect.

When she had returned from the definitely-not-quick chat with her Ma, the Alpha found the Omega huddled up in the corner of the den, whimpering. It was when she approached the honey blonde wolf did she realised what was wrong.

Maura was having a nightmare.

Jane did the only thing she could think to do, which was to try and wake her up as gently as possible. The now-common look of fear in Maura's eyes gave Jane a bad feeling that the nightmare involved herself. But it broke her heart when Maura tried to scramble away from her, as though she thought that Jane was going to attack her. Jane sadly looked on as the Omega cowered and whimpered, before she lowered her head in submission to the Alpha.

To Maura's surprise, Jane didn't claim her or mated her by force, but instead gave her a sympathetic look before moving towards her.

Maura closed her eyes and prepared herself for the inevitable, until she felt something soft brush up against her side. She couldn't hold back the look of surprise on her face when she realised the intimidating Alpha had settled down beside her, nor could she help the little squeal when Jane began to nibble at her ear.

Jane had spent the rest of the night at the Omega's side, and when she awoke, Jane was once again awestruck by Maura's beauty. The sunrise caused her honey blonde fur to glow, as though it was brighter than the sun itself. But the calm, peaceful look on Maura's face was what took the Alpha's breath away.

It was in that moment that the Alpha realised that she might have fallen in love with the honey blonde Omega.

Jane sighed as she came out of her reminiscing. Those first few days seemed years ago, despite being only a month ago. In that one month, Jane and Maura had become closer, much to Jane's delight. No longer did Jane have to be careful about what she said in fear of offending Maura, and the awkward pauses between conversations became a comfortable silence where the two wolves could indulge in each other's company. But while their friendship had grown, so had Jane's feelings for the Omega.

At first, Jane was terrified at the thought of losing her friendship with Maura simply because she couldn't control herself around the Omega. But after a while, the Alpha decided that, no matter what, she would be there for Maura, as a friend or, hopefully, something more.

But that of course wasn't good enough for some. Namely, her mother.

"Janie!"

Jane flopped onto her back, hoping against hope that her Ma wouldn't notice her in the tall grass. It seemed she underestimate her mother's keen sight as about fifteen seconds later she found herself staring up into her Ma's dark brown eyes that were almost identical to her own.

"Janie! Didn't you hear me hollering your name? I wanna to speak to you about Maura."

"What about her?"

"I wanted to know if has her eye on someone, perhaps a wolf from our pack?"

"How should I know?" Jane huffed.

"Well you're the one closest to her, I just thought that maybe she told you, you know?"

"Well she hasn't." The younger wolf muttered, looking away from her mother. She must had zoned out for a moment, because when she turned back to her mother, she found her rambling about who would be the best mate for Maura.

"...and while I did see Tommy look fairly interested in Maura, he of course has Lydia and TJ. But Frankie on the other hand-"

"-What? No, Ma, not Frankie!" Jane almost screeched.

"Why not?" Angela asked, a look of faux innocence in her face as she tilted her head slightly.

"They, they barely know each other! And Frankie ain't good enough for her, you know? And Maura, oh Maura deserves the world! Especially after the piss-poor upbringing she had 'cause her parents couldn't give a rat's ass about her 'cause she wasn't 'biological theirs' or some shit." Jane growled.

Angela smiled at her daughter, chuckling as she watched the Alpha grumble under her breath. Her Janie was so in love but she wouldn't admit it.

Deciding that Jane had been riled up enough, the older wolf sat beside her eldest offspring and sighed. "You do realise that moping around ain't gonna solve anything right? If you love her, go get her. What's stopping you?"

Jane looked at her Ma in shock. She couldn't believe that she had seen that the Alpha was madly in love with the Maura. "W-what? But how..."

"A mother always knows." Angela said with smile.

"It doesn't matter anyway," Jane sighed, "she could never love a wolf like me."

"Why not?"

"She's too good for me."

"Maybe so," Angela laughed, "but I doubt that she thinks you're not good enough for her."

"What do you mean?" Jane asked, not bothering to hold back her confusion.

"Please, she adores you! You should see her face when she watches you leave, you would think she'll never see you again! And you must've seen her face when she sees you coming towards her. It's as though she's watching a magnificent sunrise, and she can't figure out where to focus on, 'cause it's all so beautiful to her. You're scared that she might not love you like you love her? Take a leap in the dark, it's risky, but sometimes you have to risk it all to get what you want, what you need."

The Beta snorted in laughter at the dumbfounded look on her daughter's face, before nudging her side gently. "She's in your den, so now's probably the best time to speak to her. Don't worry, I'll make sure you're not disturbed." She said with a wink.

"Ma!" Jane whined, but she still rested her head on Angela's shoulder in a silent thank-you, earning a few licks behind her left ear.

As Jane reached her den, she noticed that Maura had seen her approaching and had begun to fuss with her fur in an attempt to look her best for the Alpha. When Jane entered the den, she was surprised to find that her Ma had been right about the way Maura marvelled at the Alpha.

 _'Hopefully it ain't the only thing she was right about.'_ Jane thought.

"Jane, hello! I was just about to eat some of the hare you caught a while ago and I was wondering how much you want of it?"

"I don't mind, have as much as you want." Jane chuckled at the look of shock on her friend's face.

"But you caught it! It's only fair that you have the majority of it, if not all of it!" Maura protested.

"Then what will you eat?"

"I can hunt for myself-"

"Answer me this, how many hunts have you been on since you joined the pack?"

"Twenty." Maura replied.

"Okay," Jane's smile slowly shifted into a smirk, "and how much prey have you caught?"

Jane barely heard Maura's mumbled "None."

"And how much prey did the pack lose out on because you can't stalk like a normal wolf?" Jane asked before she could stop herself. If she had said this to any other wolf in the pack, they would have either laughed it off or, if it was one of her brothers, challenged her to a fight which they would definitely lose. But Maura wasn't aware of Jane's sense of humour and had obviously decided that Jane was mocking her for being incompetent.

Jane watched as the Omega folded in on herself, so as to make herself appear as small as possible. Then, without looking up at Alpha, Maura haltingly whispered, "I'm so sorry Jane, I-I'll try harder next time, I swear. Please don't get rid of me, I really like it here. Please, I'll do anything, I promise."

Jane could feel her heart breaking all over again. Didn't she promise Maura that she wouldn't hurt her, and yet here she was, making the honey blonde wolf feel like shit.

 _'You're suppose to be telling her how you feel! Hurting her feelings ain't gonna make her fall in love with you, dipshit!'_ The voice of Angela boomed in Jane head, and she was pissed, evidenced by the more-than-colourful insult. Again, it's just best to avoid her wrath.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to sound so cruel." Jane sighed as she moved to lay down on Maura's left, giving a small huff when the other wolf wouldn't meet her eye. "I think that it might be best if you didn't go on any hunts for a while." Jane began, but her voice petered out when she saw the look of hurt on the Omega's face. But before Maura could open her mouth to rebuke her, Jane continued, "I think that instead you should be given hunting lessons, 'cause all pups learn to hunt from their parents but I'm assuming that your parents neglected to teach you. So I was wondering if you would like me to teach you everything I know so you can hunt with everyone else." Jane rambled, before looking away from the curious look Maura was giving her.

"Why would you do that for me?" Maura asked quietly, so as not to break the peaceful moment between them.

 _'Because I love you Maur.'_ Jane instantly replied in her head, shaking it slightly in a poor attempt to push the thought to the back of her head. Now probably wouldn't be the best time to admit her feelings, especially after she insulted the Omega. "You're my friend Maura, and I would do anything for you."

"Really?" Maura asked with a small, hesitant smile.

"Really and truly."

* * *

While Angela had been disappointed and annoyed that Jane hadn't told Maura of her love for her, she was quite pleased of the whole 'hunting lessons' idea. She had made Jane swear that she would go easy on the Omega, though Jane was adamant that she was going to be patient with Maura anyway.

However, Jane was pleasantly surprised to find that Maura was a fast learner who didn't mind being pushed to her limits and found that she enjoyed a challenge. Unbeknownst to the Alpha, Maura was actually enjoying the attention she received from raven wolf and had fallen in love with Jane over the course of the three months she had known her. The hunting lessons she received during the second and third month only confirmed her beliefs that Jane was the best mate she could ever ask for.

Jane was everything she ever wanted in a mate, and she had to admit that there were some moments during her lessons where she would indulge in little fantasies about Jane. Her favourites were the ones where she imagined the Alpha patiently teaching their own little pups how to hunt and howl at the moon.

It was in these moments that Maura knew she wanted Jane. All she had to do was wait for the perfect moment to make her move. Like a predator stalking its prey, a skill which she had, coincidentally, mastered over the last couple of months.

Now she just had to put her skills to use.

"Maur? Maura! You keep zoning out on me, what's got you so distracted?" Jane asked, the slight frustration evident in her tone.

"Pardon? Oh, I am sorry Jane, I was just, well, lost in my head for a moment. Again, I am so sorry Jane I-"

"-it's alright Maura," Jane interrupted with a chuckle, "I understand that this is your last lesson, and that you're more than capable of hunting all types of prey, either alone or as part of a group, but I just want to see your pounce. You down for that?"

"Yes, I am 'down for that' if you are Jane." Maura said with the most adorable smile is that Jane had to forcibly hold back her squeal. Because Jane does not squeal. No. Never.

Clearing her throat in an attempt to snap out of her Maura-induced daze, Jane nodded her head. "Good," she said in a gruff voice.

It was after her fifth pounce on the pretend prey that Maura had a brilliant idea. "Jane," Maura began with a huff, "I cannot keep using the hare as my prey, I have practically mauled it the point of all recognition." She wasn't exaggerating. The Omega had destroyed the dead hare - which she caught herself, thank you - to the point that it was just a lump of fur covered in blood. Even Jane had to admit that it was a lost cause by now.

"Yeah, you're right, but what else can you pounce on? It'd take forever to find another hare or something bigger-"

"-I can think of something to pounce on." Maura said with a wolfish grin, which looked all the more intimidating on an actual wolf's face.

"Oh? What did you have in mind?"

The Alpha's words died on her tongue as she watched the honey blonde Omega stalk towards her, just as Jane had taught her to do. Even Jane had to admit that it was a real turn on to see the Omega approach her as if she was an innocent little bunny, who was about to get a nice view of Maura's mouth and strong jaw.

Maura was only a few short inches away when she leant in towards Jane's ear and whispered a playful, "you," before she made a lunge at the Alpha.

Jane found herself staring up at the gorgeous Omega with a goofy smile, which only grew at the heavenly laugh that came from the wolf on top of her.

Before she could lose her confidence, Jane nudged Maura's snout with her own and pressed their noses together in a canine kiss. The look of surprise and pure happiness on Maura's face was so beautiful, Jane couldn't even begin to find the words that did Maura's beauty any justice.

"Maura, you're the greatest thing to have ever happened to me. You're warm, kind, caring, intelligent and by far the most beautiful wolf I have ever had the privilege of meeting. I never realised that I was missing something so important in my life until I met you. And, well, I was wondering if, no, I'm hoping that you would allow me the honour of courting you and to one day become each other's mates." The Alpha said in a rush, all the while avoiding Maura's gaze.

Barely a second had passed when Jane heard a teary but incredibly joyful, "Yes."

The jubilation Jane felt in that moment was overwhelming to say the least. She felt as though she could howl to hundreds of moons in a single breath, or tackle a ginormous mountain bear all by herself. But instead of leaping to her feet to proclaim to the world that Maura, the absolutely fabulous Omega, was _her_ mate - or soon to be mate, whatever - like she really wanted to, Jane relaxed on the grass and smiled as Maura snuggled her snout into the crook of her neck and sighed in content. The Alpha closed her eyes as she embraced the comforting weight of her Omega on top of her. She finally found her other half, her soulmate.


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm blown away by how many people have enjoyed this story, and so I've decided to continue it for you guys. I was kinda right, we all really wanted an Alpha/Omega fic with these two ladies. All mistakes are mine and all that.**

 **Before I begin the next part of this story, I wanted to share something with you that I found fairly interesting. If you don't want to listen to my musings and you want to read some Rizzles, then by all means skip the bold text and crack on with the story.**

 **When it came to continuing this story, I wasn't sure if I wanted to try to keep a sense of realism or not. This got me thinking that it's quite strange how we humans view the whole Alpha/Beta/Omega dynamic. The Omegaverse is fairly well-known in the world of Fan Fiction, and I'm sure that you all know at least the basics of it. To dumb it down, Alphas are dominant, Omegas are submissive (as well as being rare and prized in some versions), and Betas are basically your average joes in the world. This is why most Omegaverse stories revolve around an Alpha and an Omega getting it on, because the two contrasting personalities balance each other out so well that they form a strong bond, and they eventually become bondmates. Another aspect is the whole reproduction side of it, as it allows same sex couples to have 'pups', which is always a plus. Female Alphas can grow, or already have, a penis and Male Omegas can get pregnant. Whoop.**

 **This however isn't accurate to the real Alpha/Beta/Omega dynamics in wolf packs in real life, and not just the obvious 'same sex pregnancy' stuff. Did you know that in real life, social animals in a hierarchical community are often given ranks, an example being that wolves are not born as an Alpha or a Beta, but may become one. There are two Alphas in a pack and are known as the Alpha pair, and they are the only pair to mate and reproduce to avoid overpopulation in the pack, and the Beta is their second in command. The Omega is the lowest caste in the hierarchical food chain and are expected to be submissive to everyone, which is actually pretty similar to the treatment Omegas in the Omegaverse get. There is also only one Omega in a pack, which may have resulted in the idea that Omegas are rare.**

 **To prevent this Author's Note from becoming a lesson on the 'hierarchy of social animals', I'm just gonna cut to the chase. Because being 'realistic' with this story is going to kill it, and because we all really want Rizzles pups without the hassle of 'how they got there if they're both female', I'm just going to create my own version of the Omegaverse that revolves around real wolves and the story is going to have elements of the two. Hopefully you can understand how it works as the story continues. Now let's get this shit show in the road!**

* * *

Jane sighed blissfully as she relaxed on the soft grass in the shade of a tall tree and watched as the clouds in the sky floated by. She had just asked the wolf of her dreams if she could court her with the hope of one day becoming her mate, and Maura had said yes. The Alpha still got butterflies in her stomach whenever she thought about the Omega and a goofy grin would always grow on her face whenever Maura was with her. There was no doubt about it, Jane was in love.

But what a wolf to be in love with! From her heavenly soft, honey blonde fur to her captivating hazel eyes to her adorkable personality - there is no possible reason why anyone could dislike Maura.

Yet out of all the wolves in the forest, Maura chose Jane. Why? Jane didn't have a clue, but she wasn't going to muck it up, that's was for sure.

Jeez, they were not even officially mated and already Jane was terrified that she might disappoint Maura in some way.

So caught up in her musings, Jane failed to notice someone approaching her until it was too late.

"Janie! There you are!"

"Ma!" Jane screeched and sat up in surprise. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" She said with a scowl.

"Oh come now Jane, don't be like that." Angela huffed before continuing, "I just wanted to ask if it is it true that you and Maura are finally together. So are you?" She asked with a small hopefully smile.

After a moment of silence, Jane returned the smile. "Well, we haven't officially mated yet, because we haven't reached that stage in our courtship, but yes Ma, we are."

Nothing could have prepared Jane for the squeal of excitement and joy that escaped her mother at that moment.

"Jeez Ma! Do you really have to squeal like that?" Jane moaned as she tried to stop the ringing in her ears.

"I'm sorry Janie, but, I'm just so happy for you two!" Angela cheered as she started pacing beside her daughter in excitement.

"Oh my, in a couple of months there will be another little grandpup running around!" She said happily.

"Oh?" Jane said, sitting up, "I didn't know that Tommy and Lydia are planning to have another pup, or has Frankie finally found someone?"

Angela turned to Jane with a confused expression on her face. "What? Tommy never mentioned anything like that, and Frankie certainly didn't!"

Jane tilted her head, clearly just as confused as Angela was. "If not them, who else are going to give you your precious grandpups?"

"You and Maura of course."

Jane stared dumbfounded at her mother for what felt like an eternity, until she snorted incredulously.

"You think that me and Maura are gonna have - oh my, that's, that's rich, you know that?" Jane cackled, rolling onto her side to side on her back as she tried to breathe through her laughter.

"What's so damn funny?" The Beta huffed as she watched her daughter laugh, her voice laced with annoyance.

"You can't be serious." Jane said when her laughter finally subsided. "Ma, I'm not sure if you've forgotten, but in order to reproduce little ones, two very important things are needed. And unfortunately, me and Maura have matching, well, you know." Jane said, turning her head away slightly in embarrassment. "The only way for us to raise a pup is if one of us mates with a male wolf, which is never going to happen." Jane growled under her breath.

"Hang on, why would you get another wolf to do what you could just as easily do?" Angela asked, thoroughly confused.

"Because Ma, it is biologically impossible!" Jane exploded, but before she could get worked up for her rant, Angela interrupted her. "What do you mean impossible! Didn't I ever tell you about how unique you are?"

"Obviously not!" Jane snapped and watched as her mother sat down beside her.

"Really? You're telling me that I never told ya about how special female Alphas are? You're telling me that I never told you that you have the ability to grow a penis when you are with a wolf that is in heat? Seriously?" Angela asked in disbelief.

For the first time in a long time, Angela had rendered Jane speechless. After a few moments, Jane cleared her throat awkwardly. "So wait, your saying that I can grow a whole, everything, if-"

"-if you are with a female wolf who is in heat, yes." Angela finished, looking at Jane expectantly.

Jane silently pondered for a few moments until she asked, "Wait, so every time I come into contact with a female wolf who happens to be in heat, I grow a 'little friend'?" Both Jane and her Ma cringed at the raven Alpha's euphemism for the male genitalia.

"No, that only happens with your bondmate." Angela confirmed, much to Jane's relief.

"Bondmate? What's that? A special kind of mate?" Jane asked with a tilt of her head.

"The most special! They're your one true love! Everyone has one, they're each other's soulmate."

"Then why didn't you find yours?" Jane asked, and immediately regretted it. "Ma, I'm sorry that wasn't fair, I-"

"Nah, don't worry about it. I was unlucky, that's all. But I've got my pups to give all my love to." Angela laughed as she ruffled Jane's fur, much to the Alpha's annoyance.

"So what you're saying is, when it's mating season, if me and Maura have finally made it official, then there's a chance that we could have..." Jane's voice petered out as a look of pure, unadulterated joy began to grow on her face. A few seconds passed before she snapped her head back towards her Ma. "Are you messing with me?" She asked suspiciously.

"Of course I'm not Jane! Do you really think that I would joke about something as important as grandpups?"

Jane nodded her head in agreement because she had a point; her Ma would never joke about grandpups.

"So is it the same on the opposite side of things? Like, can a male Omega have pups if he finds his bondmate?" Jane asked, genuinely curious about this 'special ability'.

"Yes, I've heard stories of male Omegas who gave birth to pups." Angela nodded as she tilted her head up to the sky and closed her eyes in thought. "Male Omegas are the rarest there is. There hasn't been any talk of one in years." She added, turning back to Jane.

The conversation came to an end as Jane processed what she had just heard, while Angela admired the bright autumn leaves that covered the ground.

The silence was broken when Angela cleared her throat and said, "It's almost been a whole year since you sent your father packing."

"Do you miss him?" Jane whispered, her eyes following a leaf as it fluttered down to the ground.

"No. I don't miss him at all."

"Good." Jane sighed as she rested on her stomach and watched as some of the members of the pack began to gather, obviously preparing to set off on a hunt.

"Well," Angela began, as she raised herself from the ground and began to stretch her joints, "you better go down there and join them. Autumn's nearly over and we should probably eat as much as we can before it becomes too difficult. Mating season begins around early spring I believe, so you've got time to make it official." Angela added with a wink.

"Gross. I'd appreciate it if you didn't think about me and Maura like that. You are my Ma after all." Jane huffed.

"I'm kidding Janie! You get worked up so easily! Anyway, I'll let you prepare for the hunt, and we'll chat again later if you have any more questions you wanna ask. Oh, and don't forget to tell me when you and Maura are officially mates!"

"Okay Ma, will do." Jane replied with a roll of her eyes as she turned in the direction of the small gathering of wolves preparing to head out on the hunt.

"Okay, roll call!" Jane boomed as she approached the gathering of wolves, and jumped onto a small rock so she could see everyone. "We'll go in order shall we? Right, give me a shout if you're here and we'll start with Frost."

"Here Jane." Frost replied as he moved to sit beside Jane's rock, taking his position as her right hand.

"Korsak." Jane called, smiling as she saw that he was already making his way to her left, the opposite side to Frost, before she even finished saying his name.

"Here." Korsak said with a nod.

"Frankie." Jane said turning back to the small group in front of her.

"Yeah, here Jane."

"Tommy."

"Yup."

"Suzie."

"Here!"

"Ma and Lydia are with TJ," Jane mumbled to herself, before adding, "So that just leaves-"

Jane was at a loss for words as she looked up and watched as Maura sashayed towards her, and the Alpha swallowed harshly when she noticed that the Omega's focus was solely on herself.

"I hope you don't mind Frost, but I was wondering if it would be alright if I followed behind Jane on the hunting trail, if only for this one time and as long as it doesn't bother you." Maura asked, not once breaking eye contact with Jane.

Instead of looking peeved, Frost looked amused by the Omega's antics and the effects they had on the Alpha, and was all too happy to oblige the honey blonde wolf.

"Of course I wouldn't mind Maura. Please, after you." Frost chuckled.

Maura glanced at the Beta and gave him a nod of appreciation, before turning back towards the raven Alpha with a coy smile.

"After you Jane."

Jane coughed as she tried to calm herself down. While she wasn't sure what kind of game Maura was playing, she was certain that she wouldn't allow herself to be embarrassed by the Omega in front of the pack. After all, she did have her Alpha dignity to uphold.

The Alpha found out the hard way that while the Omega was kind, gentle and intelligent, she was also mischievous and playful, which was a side of her that only Jane had the pleasure of seeing. But it was only a pleasure when it wasn't in front of others, because while nobody needed to know about what they did in private, Maura couldn't seem to grasp the idea that some things should be left unsaid, at least in the company of others.

"I do love to walk behind you Jane. It's not difficult for an Omega to fall in love with a hind like yours."

Jane tried to ignore the boisterous howls of laughter around her as she stalked away, but she couldn't stop her eyes from flickering to Maura's as she turned away. She didn't appreciate the smug little smirk on the Omega's face.

While Jane should have been mad at her, she couldn't help the fluttery feeling in her stomach from rising again. Stupid butterflies.

* * *

By the time winter came, the pack had thankfully had a large number of successful hunts which meant that they could survive for quite some time if prey became scarce during the winter, what with hibernation and all that.

Winter was Jane's least favourite time of the year, and if she could she would just sleep through it like all the other animals do in the forest. Well, most animals, as some migrate to warmer regions during the colder season.

Wow, the fact that she knew that proved that she had been spending a lot of time with Maura. Great.

Though all sarcasm aside, she couldn't think of a moment where she didn't enjoy Maura's company, and it really was great that she was spending so much time with the honey blonde wolf. Especially now during the winter season because, beside the fact that Maura made the bitter cold bearable simply by snuggling up to her, Maura's adorableness had double due to the sheer fluffiness of her winter coat. Seriously, she looked as though she was part sheep, as she pretty much became a honey blonde fluff ball.

But just as Jane thought that Maura had reached her maximum level of cuteness, she only had to go and find the Omega playing about in the snow while they were searching for a new den.

"Maura why are you trying to find a new den? What's wrong with our one?" Jane still got a shiver of excitement every time she referred to the den as their den. It just felt so right.

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with our den Jane. In fact, I believe we are extremely fortunate that, while our den is not only the largest in the pack's territory, it is the furthest away from the other dens. Which of course means that no one can hear us when we-"

"-Okay Maura, I get it! You love the den we have now!" Jane said in a rush, looking away in embarrassment. Although she would admit, Maura did have a point.

The Rizzoli clan's territory was a spacious one, even before Korsak, Frost, Suzie and Lydia came along. From the south of the forest near the humans to the edge of the northern mountain, the enormity of the territory allowed the pack to have a rich hunting ground, as well as distance away from other packs which allowed them to avoid any fights with other packs for so long. Barely any wolves could be bothered to cross the river that divided the Rizzoli's territory with other the pack's territories, and those who did risked their lives swimming through the fast currents of the river never crossed back again. At least that's what Frost, Suzie and Lydia did. Hell, even during the winter no one dared to cross the frozen lake, as the water wasn't always frozen enough to hold a wolf's weight.

In the very heart of the Rizzoli pack's territory were the dens, and in the middle of the dens was a large patch of dirt where the wolves would gathered to socialise, practise hunting and fighting skills or meet to prepare to go on a hunt. There were three dens that were close to the centre, with Tommy, Lydia and TJ in one, Angela in the second and Frankie in the third. Originally, Frankie and Tommy shared a den and Jane had the smallest one, but after the whole 'pack leader' drama with and Jane and their father, they all swapped around so that Tommy could have the biggest den for his mate and son.

Korsak, Frost and Suzie made their own dens a couple of metres away from the Rizzoli's dens, but were still only a short walk away, and Jane followed suit after she became the pack leader. While her den wasn't the biggest, it was quite some distance away from the other dens which allowed her some privacy - especially from her mother - and it was shaded by tall pine trees, which gave it a calming atmosphere.

But apparently that was good enough for Maura, who insisted that she could find a good new den before spring arrived. Why the deadline to find a new den was the beginning of the spring was a mystery to the Alpha, but if her mate-to-be wanted to move to a nicer den, Jane wasn't going to argue.

They had spent the whole day looking for a new den, or at least Maura had. Jane had spent the whole time complaining. It wasn't until the sun was beginning to set when Maura found a place that could become a new home.

A giant oak tree had grown beside a hill and the roots had caused a small gap at the bottom of the hill to be exposed.

Jane watched in amusement as Maura began to dig away at the snow that was blocking the gap.

"Jane! Jane come look at this! We could easily make this a den! Look Jane!"

"Okay Maura okay! Here, let me." Jane chuckled as she stepped beside Maura and dug out the rest of the snow that was in the way.

"Oh Jane! This is it! We could easily make a den out of base of the hill. If we start as soon as possible, we could have a new den by spring!" Maura said happily.

"Wouldn't it be difficult to do it during the winter with all the snow about?" Jane asked sceptically.

"It won't be if we work together." Maura said cheerfully. "So, will you help me Jane? Please?"

How could Jane say no to an adorable face like Maura's?

* * *

Jane and Maura spent the rest of the winter digging their new den, with only a few disagreements. Apparently, Jane's comment that an Alpha 'had a responsibility to do all of the hard work' was incorrect and 'beliefs like that cause people to have misconceptions on the conjugal roles that mates share', or something to that effect.

At the time, Jane felt that it was probably best to just to back off and avoid any arguments while Maura was ripping apart a piece of deer leg.

Jane had tried to lighten the mood by saying what she thought was a funny joke.

 _"Sorry Maura, please don't 'chew me out' like you've done to that unfortunate deer."_

 _"Shut up."_

 _"Okay."_

Well Jane thought it was funny anyway.

It only took an hour for Maura to finally look Jane in the eye, and she promptly turned her head away to stifle a giggle at the silly look Jane had on her face to cheer her up.

Jane hoped that all of their disagreements ended like this, with the two of them laughing together.

By the time spring came around, the den was finished.

"It looks beautiful Jane! We did a good job." Maura smiled as she admired their new home.

"Yes we did Maur, yes we did." Jane said, returning the Omega's smile.

"Now we just have to give it a name." Maura nodded determinedly.

"A name? Why?"

"Because we just do Jane, trust me on this."

"Fine, what shall we call our new home Maura?"

Maura thought for a moments, before a big grin grew on her face.

"How about Beacon Hill? Because the oak tree is like a giant beacon and that's what attracted me towards the tree in the first place when we found it, and also because, well, it's on a hill." Maura explained in a rush when she saw the puzzled look on Jane's face.

Jane smiled at the hopeful look on the Omega's face. "Beacon Hill it is, then."

"Brilliant, now, I wanted to apologise for being snappy with you the last few days and I was hoping that to reward you for your efforts in making my maternity den and our future family home, I-"

"Wait, what! Maternity den! But I thought that this was gonna be our home!"

"Of course it will be Jane," Maura sighed, "I meant that I will birth our young here and we will raise them here as opposed to our old den. Pay attention dear."

"S-So you know about the whole female Alphas growing a-"

"-penis when in contact with their bondmate in heat? Yes I do."

"But we ain't bondmates yet!"

"Then let's change that right now." Maura said in a sensual tone as she sashayed towards the entrance of the den. "Coming?" She asked over her shoulder.

"Don't worry, I will be in a bit."


	3. Chapter 3

Frankie narrowed his eyes as he glanced between Frost and Korsak, who were trying to look as inconspicuous as possible but were failing spectacularly.

"Okay guys, you've had your fun. Now quit laughing and tell me what's up." He said with a scowl.

The two Betas turned to each other and shared a knowing smile before bring their attention back to Frankie.

"Tell me Frankie, have you noticed anything different about your sister?" Frost asked as he tried to subdue his growing smile.

"Well, no. Jane seemed her usual self yesterday morning when she and Maura went off to their new den, but I haven't really seen her since. Has something happened?" Frankie asked with a fearful look.

"Nah, nothing bad has happened to Janie, so don't you worry." Korsak said with a small chuckle.

"Oh, okay," Frankie nodded to himself and turned back to the Korsak to ask, "why are we discussing how Jane is if she isn't in any trouble?"

Korsak shook him head in mirth when he noticed Frost's poor attempts at hiding his growing laughter and decided to finally put Frankie's mind at ease.

"Alright, alright, I'll put you out of your misery. Ah, here comes Jane and Maura now. Watch Jane and see if you notice anything different about her." Korsak said with a laugh.

Frankie grumbled as he turned towards his sister and her mate, and promptly tilted his head to the side in confusion as he watched the pair walk towards Angela's den.

"Why is Janie walking funny?" Frankie asked as he continued to watch his sister.

"That Frankie, is known as the 'Alpha's Strut' and do you know why?" Frost asked with a grin.

"No, not really. What does it mean?"

"It means that Jane got lucky."

"Lucky? How lucky?" Frankie questioned as he narrowed his eyes, suspicious of what might be said next.

Korsak leant over towards Frankie and whispered _exactly_ what it meant, before narrowly avoiding getting smacked in the face as the young Beta reared his head up in shock.

"I didn't need to know that!" Frankie screeched in horror.

Frost and Korsak didn't bother to try and keep their laugher to themselves anymore.

"Hey! Quit laughing you two! I'm serious! Stop!

* * *

"Ma!" Jane called as she entered her mother's den. "I've got some great news for you. Me and Maura have-"

"Maura and I, Jane." Maura interrupted as she followed in behind Jane.

"Yeah, yeah, same thing." Jane said with a roll of her eyes.

"I'm only trying to help with your grammar Jane. While it has greatly improved since we met, there is still work to be done. I-"

"Okay Maura! I'll work on my grammar, jeez! Jane huffed in annoyance.

"Please tell me you two didn't just come in here to argue. If so, then please do it outside." Angela sighed as she looked up at the two wolves who just entered her den and had interrupted her nap.

"What I was about say, before I was so rudely interrupted, was that Maura and I have finally moved into our new den." Jane said with a beaming smile as Maura snuggled into her side.

"That brilliant news! When did you two move to your new den?" Angela asked with a small smile.

"Just yesterday." Jane replied as she watched her bondmate nuzzle her neck with her snout. It always felt like Jane's insides were turning to mush whenever Maura did adorable things and right now was no exception.

"Yesterday? Why did it take you a whole day to tell me this?"

"We were busy Ma." Jane replied, rolling her eyes again.

"Just how busy?" Angela asked with a knowing smirk.

"Ma! Don't do that! It weird when you talk about me and Maura that way!" Jane cried in horror.

"Well, when we reached the den, I decided that all of Jane's hard work deserved to be rewarded so we-"

"Maura!"

"Yes Jane?"

"Look, I love you honey, but please don't tell my mother what we did in our new den yesterday. I don't think I can take the embarrassment."

"Why? Was Jane not very good at it?" Angela asked with an evil grin.

"Oh no, quite the contrary!" Maura grinned. "She is very attentive but can get quite rough when she wants to-"

"Okay! I think that enough from you Maura." Jane said as she jumped on top of the honey blonde wolf in an attempt to stop the situation from getting out of hand.

"Oh come now Jane, Angela knows I was only joking." Maura chuckled as she smiled up at Jane, who had her pinned to floor on her back. "Do you really want to do this in front of your mother?" Maura asked in a sensual voice.

"Come on Maura, cut it out! My Ma is right there." Jane whined as she jerked her head in the direction of her mother, as though to remind the honey blonde wolf of their audience.

"You say that, and yet you don't want to remove yourself from on top of me." Maura retorted with a small smirk.

"Okay, I think I preferred you two bickering more than you two flirting. But only because you are so painfully bad at flirting with Maura in public Jane."

"She has a point Jane, you are quite the prude." Maura said with a nod.

"Okay you two, you've had your fun, now cut it out." Jane huffed as she moved herself off from above Maura and sat down beside her. "I don't have to put up with this cruel treatment I'm getting from the love of my life and my own mother." She mumbled as she sulked.

"Oh Jane! I'm the love of your life? That's so sweet of you! Come here." Maura laughed as she jumped onto Jane's strong back and started to nibble at her ears.

"Of course you're the love of my life Maura! Now cut it out Maur! That tickles!" Jane giggled as she pretended to throw the Omega off her back.

Angela watched the two wolves as they rolled about whilst trying to pin the other down. While it was true that the two wolves could bickered from dawn till dusk, the squeals coming from the honey blonde Omega and the goofy grin on the raven Alpha's face proved that these two loved each other with all that they had. Angela knew that their love would only strengthen and grow in the years to come. Now, they just needed to start their own family to share all their love with.

* * *

 **I'm sorry about the shortness of this chapter, but hopefully I can make it up to you all by promising that in the next chapter you lot are gonna get some Pregnant!Maura and Protective!Jane. Till next time, you lovely people you.**


	4. Chapter 4

"Jane, just cut it out!"

"But Maura I-"

"No Jane, you're starting to get on my nerves."

Frost, Korsak and Susie all simultaneously turned their heads as they heard everyone's favourite couple have yet another disagreement. They watched as the strongest and most fearless Alpha they had ever known trailed behind her bondmate with her tail between her legs.

"Being pregnant does not make me useless, Jane." The Omega growled as she stalked away from the dens and towards the small incline that led to Beacon Hill.

"Maura, I never said you're useless. I'm sorry I've upset you. Please come back Maur." Jane whimpered pitifully as she watched the Omega walk up the hill and away from her.

"You think there's trouble in paradise?" Frost asked as the three wolves all kept their eyes on Jane as she sat down and hung her head in shame.

"Must be, I've never seen Maura so wound up." Korsak replied, turning his attention to the figure growing smaller in the distance. The Omega's tail swished forcefully with every step, clearly showing just how angry she was.

"Normally I would suggest that one of us should go after Maura whilst the other two check on Jane, but right now I think it's probably best to give them some space." Susie determined as she noticed that Jane's expression had gone from shameful to glowering, probably because the Alpha had only just realised that she had an audience.

It was at that moment that Jane looked up at the three wolves. "What do you lot want?" She said with a scowl.

The three Betas shared a look with one another before they all gave a small nod in agreement. They gathered around the brooding Alpha and sat down next to her with sympathetic looks as they waited for the raven wolf to tell them of her problems.

They didn't have to wait long as after a few moments, Jane began her rant.

"I don't know what I did wrong! All I said was that now that Maura's with young I just thought that it would be best if she stayed in the den. She started to get defensive and asked why she shouldn't be allowed to hunt anymore, and I said that she wouldn't be as good as she was before." As soon as the words passed her lips, Jane could tell by the way her friends cringed that it was definitely the wrong thing to say. If only she had realised that in the moment, she probably would be cuddling up with Maura that very second. Her family always did tell her to watch her mouth. She should really stop laughing off their advice.

"After I said that, she got mad. She had this cold look in her eye that I've never seen before and I think we just had our first real fight. Or maybe not, it was very one-sided." Jane said as she squinted in thought, trying to recall what had just transpired between herself and her bondmate.

* * *

 _"Excuse me? What did you just say?"_

 _Jane looked up just in time to receive Maura's death glare in all its terrifying glory._

 _"I, ah, I said t-that now that you're carrying our young, I just thought that it would be harder for you to hunt and you probably wouldn't be as good as you was before." Jane rambled as she glanced away from her bondmate's glare that only grew more menacing with every passing second._

 _The Alpha nearly jumped out of her fur when she heard a low growl coming from Maura's direction. She tilted her head up to find Maura baring her teeth in a snarl and her ears were pricked. She was pissed._

 _"I'm not sure if I heard you properly. Would you like to repeat yourself?"_

 _Scratch that, she was extremely pissed._

 _"I said, repeat yourself." Maura snapped as she began to slowly approach Jane, who in turn backed away with her tail between her shaking legs._

 _Jane whimpered as she tried to shy away from Maura's unwavering stare. In all her years of living, Jane had never come across another wolf who could petrify her like only her mother could. Yet here she was, cowering before her Omega who looked like she was going to rip her to pieces. It would have been a turn on if it weren't for the genuine fear Jane felt in that moment._

 _Jane lowered herself to the floor and kept her eyes to the ground. To any other wolf, she would have gone toe to toe with them and fought them with all her strength. But this was Maura, and Jane couldn't bear the thought of hurting her in any way, which she unfortunately had just done. She didn't even think twice about how degrading it was for an Alpha to act so submissively – to an Omega no less – as she lowered herself close to the ground while arching her back so she could keep eye contact with the honey blonde wolf._

 _When she noticed that the Omega's hazel eyes were still bright with rage, she slowly extended her neck and gently licked the top of the Omega's paws in submission._

 _When nothing happened, Jane looked up and saw that Maura's anger had decreased, but was replaced with a look of shame and fear. It was as if the Omega was worried that Jane might suddenly snap out of her meek state and assert her dominance again._

 _Jane ignored the part of herself that demanded that she salvage her Alpha pride by putting the Omega in her place in a fight. She could never hurt her bondmate that way, or in any way for that matter._

 _While it was sort of tempting for Jane to assert her dominance in what she believed was a productive way – or rather a re-productive way – she was worried that having angry sex wouldn't a-mount to anything._

 _Jane really had to stop making sex puns in her head. Unfortunately, they just kept 'coming'._

 _Yeah, that's enough of that._

 _When Jane finally snapped out of her pun-induced daze, she noticed that Maura had started to make her way out of the den. The raven wolf wasn't completely sure, but Maura seemed upset and dejected. Whether she was sad about Jane's comment or her own violent outburst was unknown to the Alpha, but Jane was determined to put things right between them._

 _She quickly caught up with Maura, but the Omega was having none of it._

 _"Jane, just cut it out!"_

 _"But Maura I-"_

 _"No Jane, you're starting to get on my nerves."_

* * *

Jane sighed as she came to the end of her story. Her friends were all giving her sad, sympathetic looks, well, two of her friends were. Frost still had a small smile on his face that grew after he heard the sex puns.

"I just don't want to fight with her. Ever. But especially not when she carrying our young. I have this need, this instinct to always be at her side, and not just until she whelps. Always. And how can I when we get into fights like this?" Jane said with a huff.

"Well, I'm no expert, but how about you tell her that you didn't mean to cause any harm in what you said and ask if she will forgive you for being an idiot." Korsak suggested with a shrug, while the two other wolves nodded their heads in agreement at the grey wolf's idea.

The raven furred Alpha looked between the three Betas before nodding her head in agreement. She had to apologise to her bondmate for what she said. It was the right thing to do.

After saying goodbye to her three friends, Jane made her way to Beacon Hill where she planned on apologising profusely to Maura. She was even prepared to beg and grovel for forgiveness if she had to.

The Alpha had just made her way to the entrance of the Beacon Hill when she heard faint whimpers coming from inside the den.

Jane's fur bristled when she instantly recognised the whimpers as Maura's and as memories of their first meeting flashed before her eyes, so did the anger at the thought of anyone hurting _her_ Maura.

The Alpha charged into the den with her eyes flaring and teeth gleaming as she open her mouth to release a frightening snarl to scare off the threat that was apparently hurting her precious Omega.

As she reached the end of the short tunnel and entered the heart of the den, she quickly found the honey blonde wolf huddled in the far corner, her body jerking with every whimper.

Jane slowly approached Maura as though she was worried that the slightest of movement would scare the Omega away. It was at that moment that Maura looked over her shoulder and watched the Alpha carefully walk towards her. Just as Jane reached her, Maura turned back around and whimpered again as she tried to make herself as small as possible.

This only caused Jane to panic even more. She did a quick once over on Maura to ensure that the other wolf wasn't in any pain and when Jane failed to spot any injuries, she moved up to Maura's face.

"What's wrong Maur? Are you hurt? Did someone attack you? Cause I swear, if anyone has so much as-"

"No Jane," Maura cried, "no one has hurt me. But it is I who has hurt you."

Jane tilted her head in confusion. "What do you mean? Of course you haven't."

"No Jane, I have." Maura sighed as she turned around to face the Alpha. "What kind of cruel wolf treats their mate, their _bondmate_ , as badly as I treated you?"

Jane let out a long sigh. She moved to lie down next to the Omega and pretended to have missed Maura flinch at their closeness.

"Oh Maur, I should be the one apologising. I was the one who said the rude comment about you not being as good at hunting as you was before I got you preggers."

"No Jane, you was just stating a fact. I was the one being rude and horrible and..."

"I still love you," Jane said as she nudged Maura's side with her snout, "and I know that you did nothing wrong. I said something out of order and you was defending yourself. That's all that matters."

Maura looked up at the Alpha before resting her head on her paws. "I still think that my actions were unacceptable." She muttered as Jane rested her head on Maura's neck.

"Don't worry gorgeous, you can make it up to me after we have a cuddle." Jane chuckled as she snuggled closer to Maura and her slightly more rounded belly. If this was the first step to parenthood, then it seemed that the pair was off to a good start. Sort of.


	5. Chapter 5

**Now that's school's over and my cold has finally gone away, I'm going to try and focus all my attention on writing this story and hopefully have it finished before I go back to school, because I have mocks in the new year. Ew.**

* * *

Jane grunted as she opened her eyes and stared at the entrance of the den in thought. She wasn't sure how long she had been awake for, but the sun still wasn't up yet so it was either late at night or very early in the morning.

Jane had tried everything to get some sleep but gave up when counting sheep only caused her to feel hungry.

The truth was, Jane was too paranoid to sleep. Every time she closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind, a stray thought would pop out of nowhere. The very second she thought about the random thought, a plethora of images and thoughts would bombard her mind.

It was quite weird really. She would shake her head and tell herself that she wouldn't think about anything and that she would go to sleep right then. But then she would think about Maura's face when she was mad at her for the 'you-won't-be-as-good-as-you-was-before-now-you're-pregnant' comment about her hunting abilities. When she saw the look of rage and disappointment on her bondmate's face in her mind's eye, her brain was pretty much impossible to switch off.

The Alpha heaved a loud sigh before she slowly stood up to stretch, resigned to the fact that she wasn't going to get any sleep that night. After carefully removing herself from her sleeping bondmate's side, Jane gave the top of the Omega's head a small lick before she made her way out of the den and into the dark night.

Jane sat just outside the entrance of Beacon Hill and looked up at the night's sky. As she gazed up at the small, twinkling stars above, she recalled the previous day's events and couldn't help the small growl that escaped her.

Frost, Korsak and Susie all witnessed Maura snapping at her and they all saw Jane's moment of weakness as she cowered away from the Omega.

Jane, the pack Alpha, had acted submissively to Maura the Omega in full view of three members of the pack. Yet no one had challenged her leadership. To say that Jane was lucky to have such a close and loving family was an understatement. A gross understatement of epic proportions.

Aside from the fact that the three wolves who saw her fight with Maura were not blood related to her, she had two strong and able brothers who could easily hold their own in a fight. While it was true that Jane was the strongest wolf in the pack, it would be near impossible for her to successfully retain her title as pack leader. She could easily defeat a wolf on their own, but what if her brothers and friends ganged up on her or fought her one by one until she just couldn't fight anymore?

It was this very reason that had her too paranoid to sleep because while she was sure that her friends and family loved her, she couldn't shake off the fear that one or more of the pack might challenge her for her leadership when she least expected it. It was what she did to her father after all.

Frank was just lazing about after he had returned from yet another unsuccessful hunt when Jane challenged him for his title as pack leader. Jane should have felt at least a bit of shame for taking advantage of her father's weakened state, but even she could accept that what she did wasn't exactly new and different. _'It's just how things are done.'_ The raven wolf had told herself at the time. Besides, all feelings of guilt had been forgotten during the fight, as her father was one of the hardest opponents she had ever faced.

While he didn't have speed, Frank did have strength and a short temper that would cause his rage to get out of control, which was something he would use to his advantage in a fight. Despite this, he was no match for Jane skill and agility and she was able to dodge or counter nearly all of his attacks.

Jane knew that she could do it all over again to prove her status as the pack leader, but she could never bring herself to be in the position where she had no choice but to kill one of her loved ones to ensure that she would not be constantly challenged for her leadership time and time again. She wanted to see her offspring grow up and start a pack of their own for fuck's sake, and she would rather do so without having to always looking over her shoulder in fear.

Jane huffed as she rolled onto her back and continued to star gaze as she was consumed by her thoughts and worries.

"Maybe we should just move away and find a new place. Start a pack of our own. A Rizzoli-Isles pack with just the two of us, and the young of course. Surely that would be the best thing to do?" Jane asked to no one in particular.

"Are you sure you want to leave your friends and family behind?"

Jane nearly jumped out of her fur when she heard Maura's soft voice, because while the Omega wasn't loud by any means, she wasn't exactly expecting an audience for her little soliloquy.

"Maura! I'm sorry, did I wake you up? I didn't mean to." Jane said as she watched as Maura made her way to her head so she could look down at the Alpha's face.

"Don't worry, you did no such thing." Maura said with a soft smile as the two wolves locked eyes. She tilted her head in confusion when she noticed that Jane's eyes had become unfocused, as though she was lost in thought. The Omega couldn't help but be disheartened by the Alpha's reluctance to be lost in each other's eyes, because Maura was a romantic at heart and she lived for these silly, cheesy moments that made her feel so special and _loved_.

Unfortunately, Maura failed to realise the real reason why Jane broke eye contact with her. Jane had really enjoyed the intimacy of the moment, but as Jane looked up at the Omega, she realised that she was in the most submissive position a wolf could be in. Since she was on her back, her stomach and neck was exposed and this only flared up her anger and anxiety again.

"Jane, what's worrying you? Is it something I've done?"

"I, no, well, yeah in a way I suppose-"

"If I have done something, tell me what I can do to earn your forgiveness." Maura replied with a hint of sadness in her voice that caused it to crack slightly.

"It's just that, well, I can't act all submissively to you Maura! It just ain't how things are done!" Jane nearly screeched as she started to get more and more worked up over the situation.

"I am fully aware of the perceptions of how Alpha's should behave and how they should treat those beneath them, but do you truly believe that we are not equals?" Maura asked softly as she gazed down at the ground, afraid of the answer she would receive.

Jane released a long sigh before she sat down beside Maura who had yet to look up at her. "Maur, of course we're equals. It's just that there's unspoken rules and stuff about our way of life. I can't show weakness, not even to you because someone might try and-"

"-Usurp your leadership? I understand Jane, I do. The pack I was born into only cared about power, but I wanted more. It was one of the reasons why I left. I wanted to find love because I knew that it was out there, and you are proof of that." Maura smiled as she nuzzled into Jane's neck. "I know that in front of others you have to behave in a dominant way, and while I'm certainly not complaining about that," Maura smirked as she watched Jane straighten to her full height in a show of confidence, "I just ask that you don't treat me like dirt. I may be an Omega, but together we are the Alpha pair." Maura continued with a small smile.

"Don't worry Maura, I'll treat you with the respect that you deserve."

"And I will do the same for you my love." Maura added as she made her way back into the den, with Jane following behind.

"I want you to have a chat with Frost, Korsak and Susie because while I know that they appreciate your leadership and friendship, it appears that you need to be reminded."

"But Maur! That would be really awkward! Can't I just give them half a deer to keep their mouths shut?" Jane sulked.

"No Jane, you need to speak to them, it's for your own good. Now enough talking, I want to sleep." Maura said with a yawn as she laid down, careful of her growing stomach.

Jane moved so she was next to the Omega again and whispered with a delighted grin, "Not long now, gorgeous."

Maura returned the grin, albeit a slightly more tired one. "I can hardly wait." She replied.

* * *

It took Jane nearly two weeks before she worked up the courage to speak to her three friends. She wasn't afraid, obviously, but she just didn't want to have the heart to heart talk that was bound to happen. She knew that they all loved her just as much as she loved them, but the Alpha inside roared at her to always be on edge and alert at all times. It can be hard to ignore your natural instincts but as long as there was no immediate danger, Jane could at least try to calm her fears and worries.

She found her friends dozing in the grass, having just returned from a hunt. When they noticed her approaching, they all shared a knowing smile before they turned around and looked at Jane with matching grins. While she was slightly creeped out by their grins, Jane continued until she reached her friends.

"I wanted to say that, while I am still annoyed that you saw mine and Maura's little spat a while ago, I appreciate that you didn't see me as being weak or at the very least didn't try and start a fight with me. But I swear, I any of you plan on catching me off guard I'll-"

"Relax Jane!" Frost chuckled as Jane tried to calm herself down, "I can promise you now that no one wants to fight you for leadership. You're the best leader a wolf can ask for and we love you too much to fight you for something you deserve." The Beta finished with a smile as the two other Betas nodded their heads in agreement.

"Okay, well, yeah, thanks," Jane rambled as she tried to find the words to express the appreciation she had for her friends.

"Shouldn't you be getting back to Maura? I know she kick you out of the den when she started to whelp, but it's been quite some time, right?" Korsak remarked with a smile as a look of pure excitement took over Jane's face.

"You're right! I gotta go meet my pup!" See you guys later!" Jane cheered as she ran off towards Beacon Hill.

As soon as Jane was out of sight, Susie turned to the other wolves with a confused expression. "Did Jane just say that she was going to go meet her _pup_?" She asked the two other wolves.

"Well who else is she going to meet? The umbilical cord?" Frost snorted as Susie rolled her eyes.

"No Frost, I meant that it seems Jane is under the impression that Maura was only carrying a single pup."

"Well yeah, don't all lady wolves have one pup when they're pregnant?" Frost asked.

"Beta females only have one pup at a time, but Omegas are extremely fertile."

"So that means Jane's gonna have the shock of her life when she finds out that she and Maura have a bunch of pups?" Korsak boomed with laughter as he imagined the look on the Alpha's face when she eventually saw all her pups.

Later that day, Angela had told them, between peals of laughter, that Jane had been so surprised to find that Maura had given birth to four pups, two boys and two girls, she had fainted with a huge smile on her face.

They all knew that they would tease the hell out of Jane about it, that is if Jane didn't kill them first.

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 **We finally have our puppies guys! Squeal! Now I need some help naming them. Got any suggestions?**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys, I know it's been a while but I got Rise of the Tomb Raider for Christmas and I just couldn't stop playing it. Thank you all for your suggestions for names and your comments, and I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

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Maura chuckled quietly to herself as she watched the strong, intimidating Alpha that was her bondmate fawn over their four tiny pups. Jane was known for her hardened persona but only Maura had the ability of breaking her no-nonsense facade and it seemed that the pups had the gift as well if, Jane's squeals of joy were anything to go by.

"Just look at them Maura! Aren't they just the most adorable things you've ever seen? They're just so tiny!" Jane whispered as she gazed lovingly at their pups. Maura shook her head at her bondmate's antics. Only Jane could go from telling Maura that as an Alpha she always had to act 'tough' to squealing over four pups who were currently nestled into the Alpha's side. While she understood what Jane had meant that day about how an Alpha should act, especially one who was a pack leader and therefore had potentially many opponents who could challenge them, she was thankful that Jane didn't distance herself from their pups. Instead, she did the exact opposite and stayed with Maura and the pups in the den, only reluctantly leaving to collect the food that the rest of the pack had brought for them.

When the pups started to try and suckle from Jane, the two bondmates swapped positions so that Maura could feed the pups and Jane could watch over them. The Alpha puffed out her chest in pride as she stood over her family. She had a beautiful and loving bondmate and four adorable pups, and she couldn't be happier.

Jane was interrupted from congratulating herself when she heard Maura trying to stifle a giggle. When she looked down and made eye contact with the Omega, she found poorly concealed mirth dancing in hazel eyes. Normally, she would have been on the offensive and would have been angry that someone had the nerve to laugh so openly at her, and while she was stroking her own pride nonetheless. But with Maura, she just smiled. In her mind, Maura could do no wrong and when she looked at her with those big, expressive eyes and that beautiful smile, Jane didn't mind being the fool.

"Come on then, whatcha laughing at?"

"Oh nothing. I was just remembering your reaction when you saw our pups for the first time." Maura snickered as she watched the look of embarrassment cross the Alpha's face.

The honey blonde Omega would forever smile at the memory of when Jane first met their pups just a few hours after they were born.

 _"Maura? Are you awake? Can I come in?" Jane whispered excitedly as she paused just outside their den. She hadn't even felt the burn of her muscles as she charged up to Beacon Hill. While she knew that normally when a wolf had just given birth, they preferred to be left alone with the young for a week or so before they allowed their mate to see them, she couldn't resist the urge to see her family._

 _Ever since she had been kicked out of the den by her own mother early in the morning, Jane craved to be near her bondmate at this joyous time. The closest she had come to seeing the Omega was a few hours ago when Angela had demanded that she collect food for Maura, which had Jane sprinting about trying to catch something as quickly as possible. When she brought a decently sized rabbit to the den, Angela had snatched it from her mouth before ordering her to leave until she was needed again. At least that's what the Alpha thought she said, as she was busy sniffing the air in a bid to catch her Omega's scent. She closed her eyes in relief when caught her bondmate's scent which told her that while she was uncomfortable, she was having no complications during the birthing of their offspring._

 _Jane snapped out of her reminiscing when she heard Maura's quiet voice. "Come in Jane," she whispered, her soft laughter sounding like music to Jane's ears. Jane crept into the den and nearly cried at the sight she was met with._

 _Lying with her back to Jane, Maura was gently licking something small and grey between her forelegs with so much care and love. "That's the cutest pup I've ever seen." Jane said as she approached her bondmate with an enormous smile._

 _"Yes, he certainly is beautiful, they all are." Maura said, her smile faltering as she watched Jane's expression shift from awestruck to puzzled._

 _"They?" Jane asked as she tilted her head in confusion. The Alpha spun around when she heard someone clearing their throat in the far corner of the den. Jane looked over her shoulder and saw her mother making her way over to them with a knowing grin on her face._

 _"Ma? Maura finished giving birth to the pup ages ago, why are you still here?" Jane asked, her eyes narrowing as she watched her mother's grin widened with every step she took._

 _"I didn't want to miss your reaction." Angela chuckled._

 _"My reaction to what?" Jane asked, her tone expressing the apprehension she felt at that moment._

 _"To this." Angela stated as she pointed her head towards Maura's side that was facing away from the Alpha. Jane made her way towards her bondmate and froze in shock at what she saw. Three tiny grey pups where all cuddled together as they slept by their mother's side, their small whimpers being the only sounds in the now quiet den._

 _"Jane? Please say something. Anything." Maura pleaded tentatively as she watched the Alpha's eyes start to glaze over._

 _"F-f-f-four p-pups?"_

 _"Yeah Jane, four little grandpups for me," Angela chortled as she gauged her daughter's reaction to the news. "I did tell you that an Omega's fertility is over five times greater than a Beta's, didn't I?" She added with a hint of excitement as she waited for the information to sink in._

 _"W-we have four pups." Jane said one more time before she closed her eyes and fainted. Just before she blacked out, she heard Maura frantically calling her name and her mother's cackle._

 _While she wasn't looking forward to the inevitable teasing she was bound to receive when she woke up, the thought of Maura and their four beautiful pups brought a huge smile to Jane's face._

"At the time I was so worried, but now I can appreciate the hilarity of your sheer goofiness." Maura giggled as she watched the Alpha's embarrassed smile morphed into a fond one.

"It wasn't exactly one of my greatest moments, but I suppose it was pretty funny." Jane shrugged with a lopsided grin.

"It was." Maura agreed as she turned her attention back to the pups. "We should name the little ones, they'll be opening their eyes soon." She whispered as she gazed lovingly at their pups. Their faces were no longer screwed up, and it was clear that they could now hear what was going on around them. It wouldn't be long until they were more aware of their surroundings and started exploring.

"You're right," Jane said as she moved to lie down beside Maura and rested her head on the Omega's back so that both parents could admire their offspring together. "I wanna name the eldest boy Wulfric."

Maura turned to her bondmate and shook her head in disapproval.

"Come on Maur! It means 'wolf power' or something, I think."

"I don't like it Jane, how about Ralph instead?"

Jane opened her mouth to disagree with the suggestion, but quickly closed it again when her mind registered the name. "You know what? Ralph ain't all that bad. Yeah, that sounds good." Jane said with a nod.

"I have an idea for our second son," Maura grinned as she returned her attention to the pups once more, "I think we should name him Boris."

"Boris? Are you kidding me Maur? Can't you think of a better name than Boris?" Jane groaned.

"Well, I like that name." The Omega sighed as she rested her head on her forelegs.

Sensing the slight shift in the mood, Jane nudged Maura's side gently before saying, "I say we come back to him, 'cause I wanna tell you what I want our eldest daughter to be called."

When the honey blonde wolf gave a small hum to show she was listening, Jane told her bondmate her choice for a name, "Bellona."

Maura looked over her shoulder with a raised eyebrow but before she could open her mouth, Jane rushed to explain. "Once when I was young I came across two campers who were discussing each other's names. I didn't catch what the man was called, but the woman was called Bellona. When he laughed at her name, she explained that she was named after the goddess of war, but because most people didn't know that, she went by Bella instead. I ran off after that because they nearly spotted me, but I've never forgotten the name."

Maura tilted her head as she thought the name over. After a few moments of silence, a massive grin grew on the Omega's face. "I love it, Bellona it is."

* * *

Naming the rest of the pups proved to be fairly difficult, what with the two wolves constantly bickering over each other's suggestions. Thankfully, they managed to come to an agreement on names just as the four pups began to gain awareness of their surroundings and after three weeks, their personalities began to show.

The eldest pup of the litter was a female Alpha who was the spitting image of Jane, right down to the jet black fur and soulful eyes. Bellona suited her name all too well as she had gotten her spunk from Jane too and they often had to pull her away from her play fights with the other Alpha of the litter, Ralph.

Despite being the second eldest, Ralph was clearly going to be the largest pup of the litter as he was already the tallest of the lot at only four weeks old. He was nearly identical to Bella, apart from being a shade or two lighter and having a patch of white hair on his chest, and both were just as boisterous and mischievous as the other.

Their third pup was a female Omega and while she did love all of her pups equally, Jane knew that she had a little soft spot for her as she was a near replica of Maura. From her soft honey blonde fur to her thirst for learning, Jane knew that she would never grow tired of the constant string of questions that where always on the tip of the Omega pup's tongue. When the little pup was three weeks old, Jane and Maura found her at the entrance of the den, staring up at the full moon in awe and wonder. After Jane had managed to calm herself and avoided going into panic mode, the two wolves decided to name her Luna, after her fascination with the moon.

Their youngest pup was a male Beta, who could be considered the runt of the litter, though no one would ever say it out loud – mainly because Jane would have threatened to rip out their throats before they could say it. Despite Maura's compelling argument that Boris was a perfectly good name, the couple eventually agreed on the name Marcus. His rich brown fur was very similar to that of his uncles, a feature that Angela loved. He was also the most timid pup of the litter and tended to shy away from any kind of commotion.

At nearly five weeks old, the pups were desperate to leave the now cramped den and explore the outside world.

"Okay you lot, stay near the den and don't wander off, got it?" Jane asked as she sat just outside the entrance of the den and eyed the four pups. Luna and Marcus quickly nodded their heads while Bella and Ralph absently nodded theirs as they admired the woods surrounding the den. Jane cleared her throat and when the two Alpha pups turned their attention back to her, she moved to the side and allowed the four pups to leave the den for the first time.

Instantly, the two Alpha pups charged out of the den and explored the area, pouncing on each other now and then. Luna left the den a few seconds after and headed straight towards Maura, who was watching the pups a few feet away. Jane watched as the Omega pup bombarded Maura with questions about everything and anything, while Maura gladly answered every question the pup had to offer. Apparently Maura was just as curious as Luna was when she was a pup, but her constant string of questions were often ignored or ridiculed. Maura had made Jane vow that the two wolves would never belittle their pups or their opinions, which was a promise that Jane was all too happy to keep.

As Jane watched her family, she realised that someone was missing. Turning her head back towards the entrance of Beacon Hill, she found Marcus had not moved since she allowed the pups to venture out of the den. The Alpha crouched down so that she was his height and gently licked the top of his head.

Ever since she became a mother, Jane had developed 'motherly instincts', according to Angela, as she instantly knew what would calm the pups and what they needed.

"What's wrong kiddo? You afraid?" Jane asked, smiling softly at the small nod she received. "There's nothing to be afraid about Marcus, you know why? Because I'm here and so is your Mom, and we ain't gonna let anything hurt you. Mark my words." Jane knew that it probably wasn't wise to make a promise that she couldn't actually keep, but she'd sure as hell try.

Her words seemed to have done the trick as Marcus gave a determined nod as he prepared himself and leaped out the den with a massive grin. As he landed he yipped in delight, which turned into a cry of shock when his two Alpha siblings decided that it would be hilarious to jump up from behind him and scare him. Jane turned to the two Alphas with a disapproving stare and rested her foreleg over the Beta's shoulder as the pair roared with laughter.

"Knock it off you two or you'll go back into the den where you'll stay until you can behave." Jane said sternly and a small smirk grew on her face when the two Alphas stared at her with wide, apologetic eyes. "Now, say sorry to your brother."

The two Alphas shared a look before their ears dropped and they looked at their little brother with sad eyes. "Sorry Marky," they mumbled in unison. Jane smiled as Marcus cheered up at the apology and before she could even ask him if he had forgiven them, he beat her to it. "It's okay, it was kinda funny," the Beta laughed.

The two Alphas perked up when they heard their brother laugh, and Bella grinned as she asked, "Marky, do you wanna play with us?"

Marcus nodded his head wildly as he ran over towards his siblings, followed closely by Luna who giggled loudly when Bella jumped on her back and nibbled on her ears. Maura walked over to Jane and snuggled up beside her as she rested her head on the Alpha's firm shoulder. The two wolves gazed fondly at their pups as they watched them play with one another. Jane smiled adoringly at her family and gently licked Maura's cheek as the honey blonde wolf chuckled in delight.

"I love you, Maur," Jane whispered into Maura's ear and closed her eyes in bliss when she heard the whispered, "I love you more."

"Not possible, gorgeous."

* * *

 **Next chapter, Jane and Maura try to teach the pups to hunt. Emphasis on 'try'.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys, I know it's been a hella long time and I'm so sorry about that. School's being a bitch, what with mock exam results and coursework and essays due, I've been procrastinating a lot. Add to that the fact that I had to rewrite half of this chapter because my phone buggered up, so I'm not totally satisfied but I think it's okay. I swear I need a whip to motivate me to do stuff.**

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"Jane, I really don't think the little ones are ready for hunting lessons just yet. It's only been a week since they've started to eat meat, perhaps we should wait a while longer. Don't you agree?" Maura asked as watched her bondmate gather the pups up in a straight line so she could have an eye on all of them as she began the lesson.

"Don't worry Maur, our pups are natural-born hunters! It's about time we started teaching them the 'Art of Hunting'. Jane replied with a faux-solemn nod as the four pups giggled at their mother's antics.

Maura had to admit that the four pups had grown since they first left the den and it couldn't hurt to at least begin to teach them the basics of hunting. However, to admit that would only stroke Jane's ego and while Maura did enjoy seeing the Alpha do that silly little strut she tended to do whenever she felt particularly proud, her cockiness did start to wear thin after a while.

"Fine," Maura agreed as she smiled at the pup's enthusiasm, "but I'm going to supervise. Knowing you, you're probably going to do something ill-advised." Maura added with a knowing look.

"Oh, ye of little faith! You just sit and watch my love as I teach our pups the-"

"-art of hunting, I know, I know." Maura finished with a roll of her eyes, a habitat that she had so obviously picked up from Jane, it had the Alpha grinning from ear to ear. After she nuzzled Maura's cheek affectionately, Jane turned back to the four pups and fixed them with a poor attempt of a hard stare.

"Okay kiddos, welcome to your first ever hunting lesson. For the next few months, I shall teach you the techniques of how to hunt. With your Mom as my gorgeous assistant, you'll be the best dang hunters the pack has ever seen!" Jane declared with bravado as she watched the pups cheered in excitement while Maura shook her head with a fond smile.

"Alright," Jane boomed as she moved to the middle of the line so she had two pups on either side of her, "let's begin with stalking your prey. Pretend you have tracked a bunny rabbit and he has finally stopped to rest by a lake. He can't see you, so you use this to your advantage. I'm going to show you how to properly stalk your prey, but to do so, I need a cute little bunny to catch. But where will I fine one?" Jane wondered with a mischievous grin as she slowly turned her head towards her bondmate, who was trying to avoid her gaze.

"Maura, will you be my cute little bunny rabbit please?" Jane asked with a winning smile when the honey blonde wolf finally made eye contact with the Alpha.

Maura rolled her eyes with affection at her family, who were all silently begging her to join in with their big, expressive eyes. "Okay, okay," she said with a laugh, "I'll be the rabbit."

All four pups cheered in excitement as the honey blonde Omega moved so that she was opposite her family so the pups could see the demonstration easily. "Right kiddos, watch what I do and then you all can have a go." Jane said as she crouched down while Maura moved into position with her eyes closed and her back to the five other wolves. "Watch carefully as I approach my prey. Notice how silent my movements are as I move towards her, as I will use the element of surprise." Jane whispered sagely as she slowly approached the honey blonde Omega. A small smirk grew on the Alpha's face when she noticed that the Maura had tensed her back in preparation for the inevitable pounce and tackle.

Jane turned back to the pups who were all watching her with bated breath and she gave them a small wink. As calmly and as quietly as she could, Jane began to sneak around Maura so that she could pounce on her from the front rather than from behind like she was expecting. The Alpha hoped that by keeping some distance from Maura, she would be able to avoid detection from the Omega's sharp senses. This proved to be harder than she thought, as Jane noticed that with every step she took, regardless of how slow or how light-footed she was, Maura's ears would twitch.

Jane was no fool. She knew that Maura would be able to find her scent and hear her footsteps, especially with her now heightened senses due to her closed eyes. She would have to move carefully and pounce quickly before Maura could figure out exactly where the she was.

Once the raven wolf was nearly four metres away, she deemed it a safe enough distance that Maura wouldn't detect her straight away. Giving one last nod to the pups, who were trying desperately hard to contain their giggles of anticipation, she bolted towards her bondmate.

"Then you pounce!" Jane bellowed as she leaped into the air.

Maura, too startled to react in time, shrieked as found herself flat on her back with her Alpha lying on top her of her. She gazed up at the smug smile on her bondmate's face and rolled her eyes with a small grin. She was aware that Jane had moved from behind her, but she had no idea that she had moved to jump her from the front. Maura hadn't heard Jane's footsteps as she had been listening to the pup's giggles and laughter. She had been so enraptured with the sounds of their happiness that Jane really had taken her by surprise.

"And that my children is how to hunt. Any questions?" Jane asked as she kept her eyes on Maura's, her smug smile melting into a goofy one when she practically lost herself in her bondmate's eyes.

"Yeah, I've got one," Bella said, causing the two wolves to snap out of their loving gaze and turn their attention to their eldest pup who was looking at them with a crooked grin, "when we catch our prey, are we supposed to look at it like it's the most beautiful thing in the world, just like how you're looking at Mom right now?" The young Alpha asked as her siblings sniggered beside her.

Jane gave an exaggerated roll of her eyes as a response. "Ha, yeah very funny kid. And to answer your question, while food can be a beautiful sight, especially on an empty stomach, the only one who deserves adoring looks is your bondmate. The love of your life." Jane said as she turned her head back towards Maura, who was gazing up at her with affection and love.

Before the two wolves could lose themselves in the moment once more, they saw their pups whisper amongst themselves before they all nodded their heads in agreement.

Jane yelped in surprise as all four pups pounced in perfect unison and collided into her, knocking her off of Maura and onto the ground. The Alpha groaned as the four pups laughed with glee as Maura quietly chuckled beside them.

"How was that Ma?"

"Yeah did we pounce properly?"

"Yes, yes you did, now cut it out!" Jane chuckled as the four pups climbed on top of her as she lay on the ground. "Maura, help me out here!"

"Oh, not just yet my dear. You did frighten the life out of me after all, so think of this as revenge." Maura said with a satisfied smirk as Jane tried to push the pups off her stomach.

After a few minutes of thrashing around on her back, Jane finally managed to overpower the pups and rose to her feet as the four pups rolled off her and sprinted away.

"Hey! Get back here you scoundrels!" Jane yelled as she charged after them, "I hope you realise that you are no match for my speed and stamina!"

Maura could only watch as the four growing pups ran circles around the Alpha, who had quickly ran out of breath from chasing and taunting the four of them. When Jane finally collapsed in a heap from exhaustion, the pups began to once again climb on top of her. But instead of trampling the Alpha, they all curled up by her stomach and neck and started to doze off.

"All that excitement really tired them out." Maura said as she began to lie down beside her family.

"What can I say, I'm a brilliant teacher. I'd say this lesson was a success." Jane determined with a grand nod of her head.

"Success? Please, all you did was one demonstration on how to pounce, which was done on me I should add, and now they're beginning to fall sleep after pouncing on you a few times. I told you I thought they're too young to be taught hunting skills, and I wouldn't be surprised if they completely forgot everything that you taught them today by the time they wake up."

"Alright, I'll admit it, you've sorta got a point. But you can't deny that we've had a lot of fun today haven't we?" Jane asked with knowing grin as Maura gazed lovingly at the pups for the umpteenth time.

"You're right, we really have enjoyed ourselves today. Oh Jane, they're growing up so fast, soon they'll be hunting together and starting packs of their own."

"Hey now," Jane soothed, "I know it's daunting to think about the future. But life's too short to get worked up over stuff like the passing of time."

"You're right," Maura sighed, "there's no need for me to get worried and overthink things. Besides, the pups haven't even been to the rendezvous site yet, let alone explored the woods by themselves."

Before Jane could reply, a small voice caught her attention. "What's a ren-ren-dev-vo-"

"Rendezvous site," Maura supplied for the Omega pup, "It's the meeting place where all the wolves in our pack gather to socialise, play and prepare for hunts."

Jane nearly cackled when the pup turned to her with a confused look. "Don't worry Luna, she only knew that because when she was younger, she overheard some humans who were researching wolves mention it. It's the place where everyone in our family hang out with each other and catch up."

"Is it far?"

"Nah, just at the bottom of the hill. When you're all ready, we'll go down there and see everyone. Your grandma and your uncles and aunts can't wait to meet you all."

"I can't wait either." Marcus murmured as he rolled over so that he was facing Jane. "Neither can we!" Bella and Ralph said together with matching grins.

"Now look at what you did Maur! They're too hyped up to go to sleep again." Jane exclaimed as she shook her head with a small smirk."

Maura huffed indignantly, "I beg your pardon, but I simply answered Luna's question. You were the one who got them all excited about seeing everyone." Then with a softer tone, she turned her attention to the four pups, "come now pups, go back to sleep. When you wake up from your nap, we'll have dinner and you can play together some more. How does that sound?"

All four pups yawned at the same time as they sleepily nodded their heads. Jane chuckled to herself as she watched the pups drop off to sleep again. As Maura began to lie down on her left side, so that she was opposite Jane and their pups where nestled in the middle of them, Jane could feel her heart swell up with pride and love for her family.

"You know, you really are the most gorgeous assistant I've ever had the pleasure of working with." Jane whispered as she gently pressed her nose to the Omega's with a cheeky grin.

"Go to sleep, Jane."

"Yes dear."

* * *

 **A part of me doesn't want to rush the pups in to adulthood too quickly, but right now I've got more ideas for the four pups as adults than as pups. I think it'll be one more chapter until the pups meet the Rizzoli pack properly. Sound good?**


	8. Chapter 8

**It's nearly been a whole month, but I've finally updated. I don't know how you lot put up with me, but I'm extremely grateful. Thank you for all your comments and reviews, I love hearing about what you think. I've got to thank one guest who gave me some really good constructive criticism, as they felt that I was rushing this story a bit. I've got to admit I have and I realised it's because it's kinda difficult writing an Animal AU when there are no humans in your story. You think you're writing the same thing over and over again because, let's face it, animals don't do much, so you try to skip to the exciting bits but then you have this feeling that you're missing stuff. I'll be honest, while I do enjoy writing this story, I originally only planned on writing the first chapter as a one-shot. But all you lovely people stroked my ego with your kind words and I thought "screw it, let's see where this leads." Let's just say I now understand why there isn't that many Animal AU fics out there.**

 **Let's face it, this is basically a bunch of fluffy mini one-shots with a little bit of plot lurking in the background. But if you guys are cool with that, then so am I. Anyway, let us continue shall we?**

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Bella listened to the soft snores of her family as she stared up at the ceiling of the den in thought. She had been awake for what felt like hours, debating whether or not the risk at being told off for leaving was worth the chance to explore the forest on her own.

Ever since the pups had started their hunting lessons, Bella was desperate to explore the forest beyond the den. Sure, it may sound conceited of her to say that she was the most skilled pup out of the litter, but by all accounts it was true. She passed every test her mothers gave them without making any mistakes and was the quickest by far, in both learning and sprinting.

While Bella was a natural at hunting and stalking, the same couldn't really be said for her siblings. Ralph was by far the strongest pup of the litter, but he was falling behind when it came to patience and agility. His style of hunting was aggressive – a style similar to their Uncle Tommy, Jane had remarked – which wasn't a bad thing, but it did mean he had trouble mastering the more light-footed techniques. Heck, Ralph could barely stalk because of his heavy footfalls because it just sounded like he was stomping everywhere.

Luna perfected her pounce almost straight away and her hunting skills were improving every lesson, but when it came to concentration, she was sorely lacking. The Omega pup tended to get distracted very easily, with her attention often being divided between their Ma's words of wisdom and whatever crossed her line of sight. It didn't matter if it was a bird, a butterfly or just a falling leaf, she would watch it as though it was the most fascinating thing in the world. While their Ma did find this to be very cute, especially when she was reminded that her bondmate did exactly the same thing when she was a pup, it meant that the Omega pup often missed bits of the lessons and so had to be constantly reminded of what she didn't hear the first time.

Marcus was an attentive student and listened to every piece of advice their mothers gave them, but try as he might, he couldn't pick up the techniques as quickly as his siblings. Even Luna was a fast learner when she paid attention. The Beta pup was, in Bella's expert opinion, extremely clumsy during the lessons and so needed several attempts before he managed to pull off even the simplest of techniques.

While all three of her siblings had potential, Bella decided that they were nowhere near as talented as herself.

Which wasn't a bad thing, of course not, but it did mean Bella often found herself bored out of her mind as she waited for her siblings to master the hunting technique they were learning that day. Which she already learnt and perfected hours ago.

Her mothers agreed that it wasn't fair for Bella to sit around and wait for her siblings to finish the lesson, so they allowed her to explore the woods surrounding the den whilst her siblings practiced. Their only rule was that she did not go beyond the stream which was at the bottom of the hill and towards the mountains in the north. Bella had promised them she would not go beyond the stream, but she couldn't deny she was curious of what was on the other side of the water.

Bella knew that on the other side of the hill was where the rest of the pack lived and while she couldn't wait to see them, she was smart enough to know that if she was caught exploring the woods at night, anyone of them would send her straight home. The Alpha pup could only begin to imagine how much trouble she would be in if her Ma found out.

She had to be clever if she wanted to explore the woods beyond the stream, which was why she came up with the cunning idea of sneaking out of the den at night while the others slept. Bella had managed to get a few hours of sleep during the day, so by the time she woke up from her nap that night, she was wide awake and bouncing with energy. Well, not literally, she didn't want to wake anybody up, but she was pretty flipping excited.

As she slowly stood up, Bella checked her family were still asleep. Despite the darkness, she could see that Ralph and Marcus were quietly snoring by their Ma's side, who was cuddled up with their Mom. Bella could just about make out the serene smile on the Alpha's face.

When she was sure the coast was clear, the Alpha pup carefully made her way out of the family huddle and towards the entrance of the den. As she poked her head out of the den, she gasped at the sight around her.

The full moon shone through the cracks of the trees, illuminating the clearing just outside the den, creating a scene of pure tranquillity. The only noise that could be heard were the sounds of crickets in the tall grass. Leaves danced in the cool evening breeze as Bella sat down, too overwhelmed with awe to move. The Alpha pup closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she immersed herself into her surroundings.

"Have you come to admire the moonlight too?"

Bella nearly screeched in fright as she snapped her head to the right and came face to face with her sister. Luna looked up at her sister with a sheepish smile, obviously aware that she took the Alpha pup by surprise but too nice to taunt her about it.

"Maybe, and it's none of ya business why I'm out here," Bella scowled as she puffed her chest out in a desperate attempt to retain even a bit of her dignity, "why are you out here anyway?"

"I wanted to appreciate the beauty created by the light of the moon of course!" Luna replied with a grin. "I mean, look at the magnificence that surrounds us. The chirping of the crickets as they sing their never-ending song. The sheer peacefulness of night, and it's just outside our den." She whispered with a sigh of contentment.

Bella was only partly paying attention to her sister, as she was too busy berating herself. She should have noticed her sister wasn't with the rest of the family and while the den was dark, she still should have figured out that Luna wasn't there. Bella chalked her mistake up to carelessness because to her excitement. A mistake she would not make again anytime soon. When Bella turned back to the other wolf, she found Luna was giving her a suspicious look.

"What are you doing out here, if you're not here to take in the beauty?"

"I'm here to take in the view like you are! I just want a closer look." Bella said as she began to make her way towards the trees.

"Wait! Where are you going? You know we're not allowed to leave the den without our mothers supervision!" Luna exclaimed, her voice tinged with worry.

"Hey, you left the den to see the moon and stuff."

"I didn't technically leave the den, I just poked my head out of the hole, that's all." Luna muttered as she tried to hide the guilty look on her face.

"Look, just don't tell anyone where I'm going, especially not Ma." Bella said as she turned again and headed towards the woods.

"Wait! Where are you going? I need to know in case something happens!"

"No you don't, I'll be back before they wake up. Besides, I don't know where I'm going, that's the best bit of an adventure." Bella grinned as she charged towards the path that led to the stream, ignoring her sister's pleas for her to come back.

* * *

As much as she didn't want to admit it, Bella was starting to regret not taking her mothers' warnings seriously. After gleefully jumping over the stream, the Alpha pup had ran through the tall trees and leapt over logs and bushes until her paws ached. When she stopped and rested, she realised that the world beyond the stream was rather boring.

Every tree, bush and plant looked the same as the next, and without her siblings, Bella couldn't help but feel lonely.

"I've gotta go back, it's nearly morning anyway." She sighed wearily as she rose to her feet and began to go back the way she came. Or at least the way she thought she came. After wandered around for nearly two hours, the Alpha pup came to a grim realisation, one so distressing, she had to sit down as it sunk in.

"I'm lost."

* * *

Jane growled softly under her breath as she stretched, careful not wake the pups nestled into her side. The Alpha gently nudged her bondmate's nose and nearly snorted with laughter when Maura battered her face away with her paw.

"Good morning Maur, glad to see you're up and ready for the day. You always was an early riser." Jane sniggered as Maura huffed and rolled away.

Jane always relished the opportunity to tease Maura, especially early in the morning. Normally, Maura would ignore her teasing or, if Jane was particularly relentless, give her a long suffering eye-roll as a response. But ever since the pups were born, Maura found she couldn't be bothered to wake up at the crack of dawn like she use to and she now preferred to lie in with her family. As a result, mornings became the only time of the day where the usually calm and collected Omega would turn into the grouchiest wolf Jane had ever met.

And the Alpha loved every second of it.

Jane believed with all her heart that a grumpy Maura was an adorable Maura and, while it probably wasn't the nicest thing to do to one's bondmate, often made it her personal mission to wind her up at any chance she had.

But Jane didn't tease Maura to be cruel. While Maura was no longer the shy and timid wolf Jane met so long ago, she still had her insecurities and Jane wasn't trying to hurt her or make her feel inadequate. She wouldn't dream of it.

The truth was Jane loved seeing Maura when she was at her wildest, when she looked at Jane with eyes that burn like fire and a predatory smirk. Jane loved it when Maura was too wound up to tell the Alpha she was acting like a unruly pup, when she was too ticked off to find the words to tell her to cut it out. Jane loved it when the only way for Maura to convey just how annoyed she was with Jane was through a fight.

Jane could admit that yes, it sounds strange that someone could enjoy fighting with the love of their life, but the truth was all wolves had the primal instinct to fight and prove their strength over those around them. It's why wolves love to play fight. It's the best way to let off some steam and have fun, as well as practicing your skills and showing off your strength.

Jane had always loved fighting and it was one of her favourite things to do growing up. Some of her fondest memories of her father was when he taught her to fight. She fought her brothers and her friends and was able to beat them all. But as impossible as it sounded, there was one wolf who she had yet to beat.

Maura.

It was no secret that Maura was a genius, but only a few knew of just how brilliant she truly was. The Omega was an expert strategists and used clever tactics to beat her opponent. She was able to find her opponent's weaknesses and use them to her advantage, as well being able to conserve her energy while the opposition wore themselves out. If she really immersed herself in the fight, she was often able to predict her opponent's next moves. It was because of her impressive skills that allowed her to have an undefeated streak, one that Jane was desperate to break just to prove she could.

But asking Maura for a fight was pointless. She didn't care that much for rematches and often came up with an excuse to get out of them. The last real play fight the two wolves had was about a month after they became bondmates. Jane had become too paranoid to even think about fighting Maura when she was pregnant and ever since the birth of the pups, Maura would say she was too busy or too exhausted to fight. With the pups beginning to learn how to hunt, Jane eventually stopped asking, but she knew that Maura wouldn't be able to escape the chance to rough each other up when the two would finally begin to teach the pups how to fight. Jane was so excited she was close to squealing with joy. As dishonourable as it sounded, the Alpha was hoping that the pregnancy and birth of their pups had put Maura at a disadvantage. Jane knew she should feel some kind of guilt for thinking that way, but she just couldn't help it. She wanted to win!

Jane tried to snuggle closer to her bondmate so she could tease her some more and hopefully coax some kind of reaction out of her, but when she looked up at Maura, she was startled to find a look of pure horror across the Omega's face.

"Jane, where's Bella?"

Jane snapped her attention to her side and was equally horrified to find only three pups were curled up beside her.

"Shit, maybe she outside. You check outside and I'll join you after I've double checked the den."

Maura, too terrified to remind Jane to watch her language, quickly nodded her head and turned to run out of the den while Jane spun her head from side to side as she checked the den, careful of the still sleeping pups. When there was still no sign of Bella, she gently moved away from the pup and made her way out of the den. Her heart broke when she saw Maura frantically calling for their eldest and she ran over to her.

"I couldn't find her in the den, did you have any luck Maur?"

"I couldn't even find her scent Jane! We have no idea where she could possibly be!" Maura replied as she shut her eyes in anguish.

"It'll be okay Maur, she can't have gotten far. She would have exhausted herself out pretty soon." Jane said as she tried to soothe the distressed Omega, all the while trying to keep herself from panicking.

"Mommy?"

Both wolves spun around and found their youngest daughter looking at them worryingly. "Is Bella missing?"

Jane froze, unable to decide whether or not it was right to tell the pup the truth, but before she could, Maura approached the other Omega and gently lick the top of her head.

"I'm afraid so, little one. We have no idea where she could have gone." Maura told her as tried to keep her voice steady.

Luna turned away from her mothers and looked at the ground once again as she scratched at the ground with her paws. When she looked up at Maura again, tears and guilt clouded her eyes.

"Last n-night, I was l-looking at the moon and the stars from the hole to the den when Bella walked p-past me and said she was g-going on an adventure. I tried to tell her not to go b-but she was already heading towards the stream. I tried to stop her, I promise! But she wouldn't listen." Luna whimpered as Maura comforted her.

Panic slowly gave way to anger as Jane realised what Bella had done. "I told her. I told her not to go towards the stream. She promised us she wouldn't!" Jane growled as she started to pace.

Maura and Luna watched as Jane continued to mutter and growl to herself for a few minutes before turning back to the worried Omegas. "I'll go and find her. Hopefully we won't need to send out a search party, but if I'm not back soon, call for the rest of the pack."

Maura nodded as their daughter nuzzled into her side, obviously trying to avoid Jane's rage. The Alpha's face softened as she noticed the fear radiating from the small Omega and she lovingly nibbled at her small ears. "Don't worry Luna, you're not in trouble. You did the right thing by not following your sister, and now I have a rough idea where she might be. You've been very helpful kid." Jane whispered as the pup calmed down with her gentle touch. When Jane lifted her head, she and Maura shared a brief nuzzle before she made her way towards the stream. She could only hope the Alpha pup hadn't wandered too far away from the den or it would be pretty damn difficult to track her scent and find her.

* * *

This was it. Bella was sure she was going to die out here in the middle of nowhere, all because she was desperate to find out what was over the stupid stream. She had been stumbling around on aching paws for as long as she could remember and it felt like she was losing her mind. She thought she could hear someone calling her name, but it was only the wind whistling through the trees.

Bella shivered as a strong gush of wind nearly pushed her over. She just wanted to go home. "I'll never explore on my own ever again and I'll never disobey my Moms again, I promise!" She said to herself as she crawled through a bush and headed towards another clearing in the distance.

She wailed in despair when she found she had reached the edge of the forest that led towards the mountains and she realised with a heavy heart that she had walked too far in the wrong direction.

She fell to the ground with a thud and stared up at the sky. At least it didn't look like it would rain.

As she closed her eyes from exhaustion, she heard a voice that rose above the howling wind.

"Are you lost little pup?"

* * *

 **You mad bro? Yeah I know it's kinda a dick move, especially with my infrequent updates, but I'm hoping that by leaving you with a cliff hanger, I might be extra motivated to write. Here's hoping, eh?**


	9. Chapter 9

**Look who's back! I don't know how you guys put up with me, but I am so very grateful. I know I sound like a broken record, but I promise it won't take me so damn long to continue this story. With A level exams taking place at the end of May, I know I'm going to have to spend a lot more time revising than I do now. So if I don't finish this before then, I'll have all the time in the world after my shitty exams.**

* * *

"Look, Maura, I know I said that we should ask the rest of the pack for help if I couldn't find Bella on my own, but just give me another hour or so. I know I can find her, I know I can!"

"No Jane. We have absolutely no idea where Bella is and we are just wasting time if we don't send out some kind of search party as soon as possible." Maura replied with a low growl, but the hardness of her voice was betrayed by the look of pure, unadulterated fear in her eyes.

Jane slowly nodded her head in agreement. She knew Maura was right. They needed all the help they could get in finding their eldest pup, and to refuse help was not only foolish, but irresponsible as well.

"Yeah, yeah you're right Maur. I'll go tell the others what's happened. You stay here with the pups." Jane said with a desolate look on her eyes.

Maura could only watch as her bondmate walked away from the den, her heart aching when she saw the look of defeat on the Alpha's face.

Everything was perfect. Apparently too perfect. Maura finally had stability in her life, and she finally had the family she always dreamed of. Before, she felt alone and unwanted in her old pack, mainly because the Isles pack was only made up of her mother Constance and father Arthur, both of who often left her to her own devices. As a pup, Maura never understood why her parents distanced themselves from her, but it was only when she grew older did she learned the truth.

Patrick, the leader of the most feared pack in the whole forest, the Doyle pack, was her biological father and her parents had reluctantly adopted her when she was old enough to survive without her birth mother. She had overheard her parents arguing late one night when they thought she was fast asleep.

 _"You can't be serious!"_

 _"Think about it dear, the only reason we raised her is because of the protection Patrick offered in exchange for hiding his Omega daughter."_

 _"No, I am not going to abandon her simply because she has reached a mature age."_

 _"Don't tell me you finally care about her."_

 _"I have always cared about her! I have always loved her!"_

 _"Please, you only cared about the protection we received. You only loved the easy life we have had so far."_

 _"I see what this is, you are still not over the fact that you have had to raise a pup that is not your own blood. You-"_

 _"We've been over this Constance, I didn't want pups and neither did you, but we still raised her. Granted, we've been fairly cold and aloof, but that isn't necessarily our fault. We never really wanted her in the first place."_

 _"How could you say that-"_

 _"Come now, don't get all high and mighty with me. Look, I really don't want to argue with you dear, but you must listen to reason. Patrick is beginning to lose the loyalty of some of the smaller packs in his ranks and it won't be long until those in the Doyle pack are targeted to try and take it down. We can save ourselves from all the aggro if we just went somewhere else and never came back. No one would know of our connection to the most powerful pack this side of the mountain, which would mean we'd live in peace!"_

Maura couldn't bring herself to listen to the two Beta's conversation anymore after that, and it was on that night she decided to run away. If the wolves she saw as her parents never really wanted her, then she wasn't going to be a burden on them anymore.

She had survived well enough on her own for over five months until the day two Alphas tried to win her in a fight. But the little spat quickly came to an end when a tall, dark stranger scared them off.

Since that day, Maura knew she would forever be grateful for the loving family Jane had given her, which only grew with the birth of their pups.

As the Omega made her way into the den, her eyes widened in surprise when she noticed three pairs of eyes staring intently at her from the far side of the den. The worry and concern in the pups' eyes made Maura's heart ache all the more.

For all they knew, Bella had ran off somewhere and could not find her way home. The honey blonde wolf couldn't begin to imagine the perils the Alpha pup might have come across, and just the thought of her daughter in any kind of danger caused her to nearly hyperventilate.

"Mom? Have you found Bella yet?" Marcus asked as he tried to look pass her to see if their sister was behind their mother.

"Not yet I'm afraid, little ones," Maura replied with a weary sigh as she lied down beside the pups, "I'm going to stay here with you while your mother asks the rest of the pack to help her find your sister."

"Will we finally meet everyone?" Ralph asked as his eyes became bright with excitement.

"Not straight away, but once we've found Bella, then we will properly introduce you all to the pack." Maura said with a tired smile.

Luna tucked herself into Maura's side and looked up at the other Omega with woeful, distressed eyes and whimpered, "I really miss Bella."

Maura nodded her head as watched the three pups nestle themselves beside her. "I miss her too, so very much. I can't for the life of me understand why she would put herself in such danger, but I-I," Maura paused as she tried to control herself, but the looks of despair on her pups' faces broke her resolve. "I just want her to come home."

* * *

As she awoke, Bella took in her surroundings. She knew straight away she wasn't in her family's den, as the love and warmth that she was so use to was nowhere to be found. It only took the young Alpha a few moments to realise that the den she found herself in was not only tiny, but extremely cold, as if she was lying in wet grass while the rain continued to fall. She curled closer into herself as a big shiver shook her small body.

She was cold, tired and hungry, and all Bella wanted in that moment was her family. "If only I didn't run off," she whispered bitterly.

"You've got a point there kid," a deep voice muttered from the entrance of the small den, "what on earth did your parents do for you to decide to run away from home and nearly die in the woods?"

"Nothing," the pup replied as she tried to move so she could see the owner of the voice, "I just fancied an adventure."

The only reply she received was a laugh that was more of a grunt, before a small chunk of meat was dropped beside her head.

"Here, I wasn't sure if you could handle a proper piece of meat, so I ripped some bits up for you."

"I'm way too hungry to be grossed out by that, but thanks anyway." Bella said as she propped herself up on her forelegs and began to eat.

"Oi, don't scoff it down! You'll make yourself sick. And don't roll your eyes, you know I'm right."

Bella turned so she could finally get a good look at the other wolf. The large wolf was a rather intimidating figure, with a tense, powerful body that was covered with scars from wounds he must've received from years of fighting. His faded brown fur had large patches of grey on his underbelly, neck and around his face, which Bella assumed was because of old age. Though, that being said, he looked as though he had a lot of fight left in him.

But despite his hardened face and his strong stature, there was a surprising lack of coldness in his eyes. Although, they weren't exactly brimming with happiness either.

As Bella chewed the meat, she decided that if she was going to spend so time with the other wolf, she might as well learn his name. "So, who are you?"

"I could ask you the same question."

"I asked you first."

"Don't care, tell me your name, squirt."

The young Alpha stared at the other wolf, who's dominating scent revealed him to also be an Alpha and, if Bella had to guess, the leader of his own pack. After she decided there was no harm in trusting the wolf who saved her life, she simply replied, "Bella, of the Rizzoli pack."

"Rizzoli?" The other wolf tilted his head in thought, "I know that name. I _know_ I know that name, but where?"

"From what my Ma told me, we're a large pack and the majority of the wolves who make up the pack aren't actually related to each other, but everyone is loved and valued all the same." Bella said with a proud nod, pleased that she remembered her mother's words.

"Ah yes, I remember now, that's the pack who takes in strays and treat them like they are their own." The older Alpha said with a slight sneer.

"A bit like what you did to me, I suppose."

That wiped the sneer off his face. "I didn't do that to you, I just, well, I didn't want you to die alright! An adult wolf should take care of themselves if they've been banished or ran away from their own pack, but you, you're just a pup." He huffed with a scowl.

Bella continued to stare at the other wolf and after a while, he stared right back.

"You know, there's nothing wrong with opening up your heart to others and sharing your love with those who need it."

The older Alpha scoffed, "Didn't anyone ever tell you that blood is thicker than water?"

When there was no immediate reply, the older wolf turned back around towards the little pup again and was surprised to find her looking up at him with a small smile. "Mom says love is stronger than hate."

"Yeah, well, she's wrong kid."

"Nope," Bella replied as she rapidly shook her head, "Mom is never wrong. Ma said so."

Now the other Alpha was confused, "I, what?" He tilted his head in confusion as the pup beside him began to laugh.

"I've got two mothers," she giggled, but stopped when she realised, "who are probably worried sick about me."

The two wolves sat in silence as both became lost in their own thoughts. After a long while, the silence was broken by a mumbled, "Paddy."

"Huh?"

"My name is Patrick, but you can call me Paddy. I am, well, _was_ the leader of the Doyle pack."

"What happened?" Bella asked, her interest piqued.

"Nothing a little pup like you should know about." Paddy replied quickly, before adding, "I did some stuff and now I'm on my own, trying to hide from my enemies."

"Enemies?"

"Everyone has them, I just have a whole forest full of 'em."

"Which is why you're gonna help me get home."

"I am?"

"Yep. You can't stay here and obviously neither can I. Surely you won't put my life in danger, especially after you saved me. If you helped me home, you could head towards the mountains and hide there."

The older Alpha laughed, "I afraid I'm already a step ahead of you."

Bella squinted her eyes in confusion before heading towards to the entrance of the small den. As she poked her head out, she was greeted with a strong gust of icy cold wind and a rather magnificent view of the tops of the surrounding trees.

"Ah, I see what you mean."

* * *

The Rizzoli pack spend the entire day searching for Bella, with each of the wolves pairing up and searching the area. Jane and Korsak headed north while Maura and Susie searched east of the den. Frankie and Frost headed towards the south, and towards the border of the forest while Tommy and Lydia headed west of the den to try and find Bella. TJ searched the area close to Beacon Hill while regularly checking in with Angela, who stayed with the pups in the den. The three pups were thrilled to finally meet their grandmother, in spite of the somber occasion.

But despite their efforts, by nightfall there was still no sight of the missing wolf pup.

"What is wrong with me? I'm her mother, damn it! I should have a natural instinct at finding my own pups, shouldn't I? Don't all mothers have that instinct? What is wrong with me? Why haven't I found her yet?" Jane growled to herself, enraged that she had failed to find her daughter. She sat down with a dull thud as exhaustion washed over her and she realised, with a pitiful whimper, that she was losing hope and was growing more and more despondent by the minute.

"I'm sorry Jane, but it's getting too dark to see properly. We have to go back." Korsak sighed and lowered his head in defeat. He hated to admit it, but it was difficult finding the pup when he didn't know her scent and the only two wolves who had any real chance of finding Bella was Jane and Maura, and both had already ran themselves ragged trying to find their daughter.

Jane barely acknowledged him as she watched the sun set. She couldn't believe that none of the search parties were able to find Bella and in her frazzled state, her mind could only come to one conclusion. "What if _he_ has her."

"Come on Jane, don't think like that-"

"No Korsak! What if he's still after me, and he thought now was the perfect time to get revenge?" Jane shrieked, her voice growing more hysterical by the second.

"Jane, no one has seen _him_ in years, hell, he's probably dead. Even if he is alive, he wouldn't know where we are. The last time we met him was when you ventured to the other side of the mountain, and that was the first and only time you saw him. Only a psycho would become obsessed with someone after only meeting them, and fighting them, once. Then again, Hoyt is batshit crazy."

Jane flinched at the name but managed to control her features enough that her fear and sorrow wasn't too obvious.

After a moment to collect herself, Jane tilted her head back and gave a long, sad howl at the moon and after a few moments, a longer, sadder howl answered back.

"Maura had no luck either," Jane sighed, "Susie's making her head back home too but she wants to keep looking for Bella as well."

Korsak watched as Jane howled back to her bondmate and after a few more doleful howls, the two made their way back to Beacon Hill.

* * *

"Look kid, I know I said I'd help you find your way home, but it's getting late and we won't be able to see the forest properly with the moonlight alone." Paddy said gruffly as he watched the Alpha pup take in the sights the mountain offered in a desperate attempt to find her home.

"Come on Paddy, give me five more minutes, I know I can remember where my home is, all I need to do is find the massive tree above our den."

"You won't be able to do so in this light kid. I don't want you to stick around longer than you have to either, but nor am I gonna let you fend for yourself. Come on kid, without your mother here to feed you, you need all the strength you can get."

Bella continued to scan the forest for anything she could recognised, hoping her aerial view could offer her a better chance at finding the way back to the den.

After watching the evening wind rustle the leaves on the trees and the birds flying to and from their nests, Bella decided that the older Alpha was right. Just as she turned her head and opened her mouth to admit she had finally given up for the day, a long howl interrupted her.

Bella's head snapped forward as she tried to find the source of the howl but when she thought she found where it was coming from, it stopped. Before she could lose hope, another howl caught her attention. "That's them! That's them right there! They're talking to each other! They're trying to find me!" She squealed.

Paddy could only watch as the small pup tried to howl back, but her obvious inexperience was as hilarious as it was heartbreaking.

"Kid, they ain't gonna hear you from up here, but if we can figure out where they are, we can follow their trail home."

Bella beamed at Paddy's suggestion and quick spun around again to try and find where her mothers were. Her Ma's howl seemed to be closer than her Mom's, while her Mom's howl was longer. Both, however, were filled with distress and sorrow at their failure to find Bella.

"It sounds like your mothers really care about you." Paddy quietly said to the pup once the howling came to an end.

"I know, they love all of us, and I feel terrible that they probably think I ran away from home thinking they don't love me." Bella replied sadly as she watched Paddy take one last look of the forest.

"I'm pleased that you do know. They obviously love you very much."

A comfortable silence fell between the two wolves as they admired the tranquil sight of the forest at dusk.

"I've gotta ask you something. You could've left me behind when you found me. Why did you help me, why are you still helping me?"

A distant, forlorn look crossed the older Alpha's face as he turned away from the view of the forest and, after losing himself in old memories for a couple of minutes, gave the pup beside him a small, sad smile.

"I won't deny it, I'm probably the most heartless wolf you'll ever meet, but only if you've rubbed up me the wrong way. And trust me, a lot of wolves have done that over the years. But you? You're just a pup. You're too young to have done anything bad and you still have the rest of your life to live. Every pup deserves the best start in life, a chance to grow and become the greatest wolf they can possibly be. And, well, that's the reason why I gave up my only daughter to a pair of bondmates to raise as their own." He said, his voice laced with pain and despair.

"You must've really loved her if you were willing to give her away so she wouldn't have to grow up in your world, which sounds pretty sucky from what you've told me." Bella whispered with a sympathetic smile.

Paddy stared at Bella with a look of utter surprise and a little bit of happiness. He couldn't describe why, but he felt a strange sense of relief when the little pup realised his good intentions and did not accuse him of heartlessly abandoning his daughter. He wasn't sure if she would still like him if she knew the whole truth, like how he lied to the birth mother and told her their daughter had died, but a part of him was too selfish to tell Bella everything, as he wasn't sure how she would react. Worst case scenario would be that she became so disgusted with him, she ran away and tried to find her way home on her own, and he just couldn't bear the thought of the little pup not returning home safely.

Shaking away his depressing thoughts, Paddy gave the small pup a wry smile. "I gotta say, you are very understanding for a pup. You're quite wise beyond your years."

"So I've been told." Bella replied with a cocky grin.

"Alright kiddo, there's only so much arrogance a pipsqueak like you can get away with. Come on, let's go back to the den so you can rest and have something to eat. We have a big day tomorrow." Paddy said with a smile as he began to make his way back to his small den.

"Don't worry, I'll find my way home." Bella whispered to the moon with a determined nod and followed closely behind him.

* * *

"I'm telling you, she was crazy thinking it was clever to explore the forest by herself, but she's tough. Not as tough as me, but she can hold her own when she's in trouble." Ralph whispered to his two siblings as they laid curled up with one another in a small bundle beside their mothers. The two adult wolves had collapsed into a deep slumber as soon as they entered the den after they had a lengthy talk outside that the pups couldn't hear. The three pups didn't even need to ask if they had found Bella, as the crestfallen looks on their parents faces was evident enough.

Marcus nodded his head rapidly, "I know what you mean. She's really smart and I'm pretty sure she's always beaten you in a fight," the Beta said with a teasing smile.

"No! Well, yeah, but that's only because I go easy on her. She is a girl after all."

"Keep telling yourself that, champ."

"Whatever Marky, what would you know about fighting anyway?"

"I'm still learning and so are you so don't get too full of yourself."

"You're just jealous of my amazing skills."

"Yeah, okay Ralph."

"You know, I kinda preferred you when you were more timid."

"I kinda preferred you when you was too young to speak."

Luna sighed as she listened to her brothers' bickering. It was around this time that she and Bella would share a look and Bella would tell the two boys to knock it off, but just the thought of her sister caused the painful feelings of guilt and hopelessness to make her stomach churn.

She blamed herself for everything that happened, and while everyone told her not to, she just couldn't help it. Grandma Angela tried to cheer her up, as did her brothers, but nothing made her smile. All she wanted was her sister to come home.

When she was sure her brothers was too distracted with their little quarrel, she snuck away from her family and made her way to the entrance of the den. As she gazed up at the moon, she remembered the night Bella darted through the trees and away from the den. She turned her attention to the direction her sister went that night and decided then and there that, just before the break of dawn, she would try and find her sister herself. She knew it was rash of her, but in that moment her mind was set. With one last look at the moon, she whispered a soft, "come on Bella, find your way home," before making her way back inside the den for a rest.

* * *

The sun had yet to rise when Paddy decided it was time to try and find the way to Bella's home.

"Paddy," Bella whined, "why did we have to get up so early? The sun isn't even up yet, so neither should we."

"Sorry kid, but it's better if we travelled in the dark because it's harder for others to spot us."

"Oh yeah, because you're hiding from all your enemies who are out for your blood." Bella said gravelly as she pretended to sadly shake her head.

"You know, you're pretty funny for a pup. But don't think that means I'm gonna miss you when we find your home."

"Don't worry, I won't miss you either, you old fart."

Paddy roared with laughter as they finally finished climbing down the mountain and reached the ground. Just as his laughter died down, a bush to their left began to rustle and shake.

"Stay behind me kid," Paddy growled as he moved into a fighting stance.

Just as he let out a low growl at the potential threat, the bush suddenly stopped shaking and a brown hare leapt out and froze in front of them, petrified.

"Watch out Paddy, it looks dangerous."

The older Alpha rolled his eyes in annoyance as they watched the hare sprint away and glared down at the smug looking pup. "You're just lucky that wasn't Hoyt."

The pup grew serious then, "Hoyt?"

"Yeah," he muttered as they continued to make their way through the forest," he's just some freak who likes to attack anything he comes across. Sometimes wolves, sometimes people. I've lost some damn good members of my pack because of him. If I ever found him, well, he'd be screwed is all I'm saying. Do you know him or something?" Paddy asked when he noticed the pensive look on the Alpha pup's face.

"Not personally no, but I think my Ma has met him. Once she woke up yelping because of a nightmare and I heard her tell Mom it was about someone called Hoyt. I was the only one awake so I never mentioned it to my siblings, but I think it's a touchy subject for them both. I don't want to say or do anything that might upset them."

"You running off probably upset them."

"Gee you don't say!" Bella said with a wry smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Ma's gonna be furious with me when she gets over the joy that I'm alive," Bella sighed, "but I'm more afraid of Mom's reaction."

"Oh? Why?"

"She isn't a shouter, not like Ma, but she can make you feel so guilty it's unreal. And she doesn't even do it on purpose, it's just that you feel like poop for letting her down, because she's so lovely. That's what Ma says. Also, Ma said Mom is really scary when she's angry, so I really hope she isn't mad with me." Bella added with a sad frown.

"I doubt it kid, just don't do it again. It's a miracle you was still alive when I found you and you're, what, six or seven weeks old? You're a strong little thing, I'll give you that."

"It's the Rizzoli in me," Bella declared proudly, "Ma says I get my strength from her and my smartness from my Mom."

"Really?"

"Yep. Together, the Rizzoli-Isles pack are unstoppable!" Bella cheered, but quickly turned around when she noticed her companion had stopped abruptly.

"Paddy?"

"D-Did you just say 'Isles'?

"Yeah, why-"

"Bella!"

Both Alphas spun around and Bella began to yap with joy when she noticed her sister running towards her, "Luna! What are you doing here?"

"I came to try and find you! Everyone's so worried, and I felt really guilty that I didn't try and stop you and-"

"No Luna, you shouldn't feel bad. I should've listened to you, I'm so sorry for all the trouble I've caused." The young Alpha said miserably.

"All that matters is that you're safe. I've missed you sis!" Luna squealed as she tacked her sister.

After the two sisters pounced on one another and played together for a while, Bella remembered about her new friend. But when the two pups looked up at the older wolf, they were surprised to find him frozen in place, as though he had seen a ghost.

"Maura?"


End file.
